Sample records for breeder reactor components

This report is a compilation of Fast BreederReactor (FBR) resource documents prepared to provide the technical basis for the US contribution to the International Nuclear Fuel Cycle Evaluation. The eight separate parts deal with the alternative fast breederreactor fuel cycles in terms of energy demand, resource base, technical potential and current status, safety, proliferation resistance, deployment, and nuclear safeguards. An Annex compares the cost of decommissioning light-water and fast breederreactors. Separate abstracts are included for each of the parts.

The theory of breederreactors in relationship to a discussion of fission is presented. Different kinds of reactors are characterized by the cooling fluids used, such as liquid metal, gas, and molten salt. The historical development of breederreactors over the past twenty-five years includes specific examples of reactors. The location and a brief…

Reactor protection is provided for a liquid-metal-fast breederreactor core by measuring the coolant outflow temperature from each of the subassemblies of the core. The outputs of the temperature sensors from a subassembly region of the core containing a plurality of subassemblies are combined in a logic circuit which develops a scram alarm if a predetermined number of the sensors indicate an over temperature condition. The coolant outflow from a single subassembly can be mixed with the coolant outflow from adjacent subassemblies prior to the temperature sensing to increase the sensitivity of the protection system to a single subassembly failure. Coherence between the sensors can be required to discriminate against noise signals. (Official Gazette)

Fast BreederReactors: An Engineering Introduction is an introductory text to fast breederreactors and covers topics ranging from reactor physics and design to engineering and safety considerations. Reactor fuels, coolant circuits, steam plants, and control systems are also discussed. This book is comprised of five chapters and opens with a brief summary of the history of fast reactors, with emphasis on international and the prospect of making accessible enormous reserves of energy. The next chapter deals with the physics of fast reactors and considers calculation methods, flux distribution,

Experimental BreederReactor I (EBR I) is a National Historic Landmark located at the Idaho National Laboratory, a Department of Energy laboratory in southeastern Idaho. The facility is significant for its association and contributions to the development of nuclear reactor testing and development. This Plan includes a structural assessment of the interior and exterior of the EBR I Reactor Building from a preservation, rather than an engineering stand point and recommendations for maintenance to ensure its continued protection.

The Shippingport Light Water BreederReactor (LWBR) was developed by Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory to demonstrate the potential of a water-cooled, thorium oxide fuel cycle breederreactor. The LWBR core operated from 1977-82 without major incident. The fuel and fuel components suffered minimal damage during operation, and the reactor testing was deemed successful. Extensive destructive and nondestructive postirradiation examinations confirmed that the fuel was in good condition with minimal amounts of cladding deformities and fuel pellet cracks. Fuel was placed in wet storage upon arrival at the Expended Core Facility, then dried and sent to the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center for underground dry storage. It is likely that the fuel remains in good condition at its current underground dry storage location at the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center. Reports show no indication of damage to the core associated with shipping, loading, or storage.

Breederreactors are considered a unique tool for fully exploiting natural nuclear resources. In current Light Water Reactors (LWR), only 0.5% of the primary energy contained in the nuclei removed from a mine is converted into useful heat. The rest remains in the depleted uranium or spent fuel. The need to improve resource-efficiency has stimulated interest in Fast-Reactor-based fuel cycles, which can exploit a much higher fraction of the energy content of mined uranium by burning U-238, mainly after conversion into Pu-239. Thorium fuel cycles also offer several potential advantages over a uranium fuel cycle. The coolant initially selected for most of the FBR programs launched in the 1960s was sodium, which is still considered the best candidate for these reactors. However, Na-cooled FBRs have a positive void reactivity coefficient. Among other factors, this fundamental drawback has resulted in the canceled deployment of these reactors. Therefore, it seems reasonable to explore new options for breeder coolants. In this paper, a proposal is presented for a new molten salt (F{sub 2}Be) coolant that could overcome the safety issues related to the positive void reactivity coefficient of molten metal coolants. Although it is a very innovative proposal that would require an extensive R and D program, this paper presents the very appealing properties of this salt when using a specific type of fuel that is similar to that of pebble bed reactors. The F{sub 2}Be concept was studied over a typical MOX composition and extended to a thorium-based cycle. The general analysis took into account the requirements for criticality (opening the option of hybrid subcritical systems); the requirements for breeding; and the safety requirement of having a negative coolant void reactivity coefficient. A design window was found in the definition of a F{sub 2}Be cooled reactor where the safety requirement was met, unlike for molten metal-cooled reactors, which always have positive void

Breederreactors are considered the unique tool for fully exploiting the natural nuclear resources. In current LWR, only a 0.5% of the primary energy contained in the nuclei removed from the mine is converted into useful heat, with the rest remaining in the depleted uranium or in the spent fuel. The objective of resource-efficiency stimulated the interest in Fast- Reactor-based fuel cycles which can exploit a much higher fraction of the energy content of the mined uranium by burning U-238, mainly after conversion into Pu-239. Thorium fuel cycles would also offers several potential advantages over a uranium fuel cycle. The coolant initially chosen for most of the FBR programs launched in the 60's was sodium, which still is considered the best candidate for these reactors. However, Na-cooled FBR have a positive void reactivity coefficient, which has been among others, a fundamental drawback that has cancelled the deployment of these reactors. Therefore, it seems reasonable to explore totally new options on coolants for breeders. In this paper, a proposal is presented on a new molten salt (F{sub 2}Be) coolant that could overcome the safety issues related to the positive void reactivity coefficient of molten metal coolants. Although it is a very innovative proposal that would need an extensive R and D programme, this paper presents the very appealing properties of this salt, in the case of using a specific type of fuel, similar to that of pebble bed reactors. The concept will be studied over a typical MOX composition and extended to a Thorium-based cycle. The general analysis takes into account requirements for criticality (opening the option of hybrid subcritical systems); requirements for breeding; and the safety requirement of having a negative coolant void reactivity coefficient. A design window is found in the definition of a F{sub 2}Be cooled reactor where the safety requirement is met, unlike for molten metal cooled reactors which always have positive void

Fast breederreactors (FBRs) are destined to play a crucial role inthe Indian nuclear power programme in the foreseeable future. FBR technology involves a multi-disciplinary approach to solve the various challenges in the areas of fuel and materials development. Fuels for FBRs have signiﬁcantly higher concentration of ﬁssile material than in thermal reactors, with a matching increase in burn-up. The design of the fuel is an important aspect which has to be optimised for efﬁcient, economic and safe production of power. FBR components operate under hostile and demanding environment of high neutron ﬂux, liquid sodium coolant and elevated temperatures. Resistance to void swelling, irradiation creep, and irradiation embrittlement are therefore major considerations in the choice of materials for the core components. Structural and steam generator materials should have good resistance to creep, low cycle fatigue, creep-fatigue interaction and sodium corrosion. The development of carbide fuel and structural materials for the Fast Breeder Test Reactor at Kalpakkam was a great technological challenge. At the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), advanced research facilities have been established, and extensive studies have been carried out in the areas of fuel and materials development. This has laid the foundation for the design and development of a 500 MWe Prototype Fast BreederReactor. Highlights of some of these studies are discussed in this paper in the context of our mission to develop and deploy FBR technology for the energy security of India in the 21st century.

MONJU is the prototype fast breederreactor in Japan designed to have the electricity output of 280 MWe. Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation (PNC) started its construction in the autumn of 1985 in Tsuruga site. The loading of the core fuel assemblies to the core have been started since October 1993 and the pre-operational test is undergoing. MONJU uses 198 MOX fuel assemblies as core fuel and 172 DU assemblies as blanket fuel. Assemblies loaded in core and stored in the ex-vessel storage tank (EVST) exist in liquid sodium. These Pu containing fuel assemblies, MOX and irradiated DU, are regarded as in the difficult-to-access area, and the flows of fuel assemblies into and out of the area are requested to be verified. The verification of the flows is designed to be made with fuel flow monitors measuring radiations, which can abridge the inspector attendance during the fuel handling. This paper describes the detailed aspects of the fuel transfers in MONJU facility and the verification of them through flow monitors together with the functions of other safeguards equipments. (author).

The object of the Alternative Nuclear Fuel Cycle Study is to perform comparative assessments of nuclear power systems. There are two important features of this study. First, this evaluation attempts to encompass the complete, integrated fuel cycle from mining of uranium ore to disposal of waste rather than isolated components. Second, it compares several aspects of each cycle - energy use, economics, technological status, proliferation, public safety, and commercial potential - instead of concentrating on one or two assessment areas. This report presents assessment results for three fuel cycles. These are the light-water reactor once-through cycle, the fast breederreactor on the classical plutonium cycle, and the fast breederreactor on a symbiotic cycle using plutonium and /sup 233/U as fissile fuels. The report also contains a description of the methodology used in this assessment. Subsequent reports will present results for additional fuel cycles.

This paper discusses the facts and figures about the effects of conservation policies, the benefits of the Clinch River BreederReactor demonstration plant, the feasibility of nuclear weapons manufacture from reactor-grade plutonium, diversion of plutonium from nuclear plants, radioactive waste disposal, and the toxicity of plutonium. The paper concludes that the U.S. is not proceeding with a high confidence strategy for breeder development because of a variety of false assumptions.

The purpose of the Department of Energy Water Cooled Breeder Program was to demonstrate pratical breeding in a uranium-233/thorium fueled core while producing electrical energy in a commercial water reactor generating station. A demonstration Light Water BreederReactor (LWBR) was successfully operated for more than 29,000 effective full power hours in the Shippingport Atomic Power Station. The reactor operated with an availability factor of 76% and had a gross electrical output of 2,128,943,470 kilowatt hours. Following operation, the expended core was examined and no evidence of any fuel element defects was found. Nondestructive assay of 524 fuel rods determined that 1.39 percent more fissile fuel was present at the end of core life than at the beginning, proving that breeding had occurred. This demonstrates the existence of a vast source of electrical energy using plentiful domestic thorium potentially capable of supplying the entire national need for many centuries. To build on the successful design and operation of the Shippingport Breeder Core and to provide the technology to implement this concept, several reactor designs of large breeders and prebreeders were developed for commercial-sized plants of 900--1000 Mw(e) net. This report summarizes the Water Cooled Breeder Program from its inception in 1965 to its completion in 1987. Four hundred thirty-six technical reports are referenced which document the work conducted as part of this program. This work demonstrated that the Light Water BreederReactor is a viable alternative as a PWR replacement in the next generation of nuclear reactors. This transition would only require a minimum of change in design and fabrication of the reactor and operation of the plant.

More than 20 years of Experimental-Breeder-Reactor-II (EBR-II) operation has demonstrated the capability to maintain radioactive equipment without undue radiation exposure to operating and maintenance personnel. The dominant radioisotopes in EBR-II primary systems are the activated corrosion product /sup 54/Mn and the fission products /sup 90/Sr and /sup 137/Cs. The presence of radioisotopes from direct activation, deposit of activated corrosion products, and release of fission products from breached fuel elements dictates special procedures, equipment, and planning but does not prohibit maintenance activities. Since 1977, the average yearly exposure of operating and maintenance personnel has been reduced while the radioactivity of systems and components has increased.

This report describes a microcomputer-based, single-project financial analysis program: BREEDER. BREEDER is a user-friendly model designed to facilitate frequent and rapid analyses of the financial implications associated with alternative design and financing strategies for electric generating plants and large-scale prototype breeder (LSPB) reactors in particular. The model has proved to be a useful tool in establishing cost goals for LSPB reactors. The program is available on floppy disks for use on an IBM personal computer (or IBM look-a-like) running under PC-DOS or a Kaypro II transportable computer running under CP/M (and many other CP/M machines). The report documents version 1.5 of BREEDER and contains a user's guide. The report also includes a general overview of BREEDER, a summary of hardware requirements, a definition of all required program inputs, a description of all algorithms used in performing the construction-period and operation-period analyses, and a summary of all available reports. The appendixes contain a complete source-code listing, a cross-reference table, a sample interactive session, several sample runs, and additional documentation of the net-equity program option.

Results of a conceptual design study of a /sup 233/U-producing fusion breeder are presented. The majority of the study was devoted to conceptual design and evaluation of a fission-suppressed blanket and to fuel cycle issues such as fuel reprocessing, fuel handling, and fuel management. Studies in the areas of fusion engineering, reactor safety, and economics were also performed.

A nuclear reactor having a region operating predominantly on fast neutrons and another region operating predominantly on slow neutrons is described. The fast region is a plutonium core and the slow region is a natural uranium blanket around the core. Both of these regions are free of moderator. A moderating reflector surrounds the uranium blanket. The moderating material and thickness of the reflector are selected so that fissions in the uranium blanket make a substantial contribution to the reactivity of the reactor.

Thermal hydraulics plays an important role in the design of liquid metal cooled fast breederreactorcomponents, where thermal loads are dominant. Detailed thermal hydraulic investigations of reactorcomponents considering multi-physics heat transfer are essential for choosing optimum designs among the various possibilities. Pool hydraulics is multi-dimensional in nature and simple one-dimensional treatment for the same is often inadequate. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) plays a critical role in the design of pool type reactors and becomes an increasingly popular tool, thanks to the advancements in computing technology. In this paper, thermal hydraulic characteristics of a fast breederreactor, design limits and challenging thermal hydraulic investigations carried out towards successful design of Indian Prototype Fast BreederReactor (PFBR) that is under construction, are highlighted. Special attention is paid to phenomena like thermal stratiﬁcation, thermal stripping, gas entrainment, inter-wrapper ﬂow in decay heat removal and multiphysics cellular convection. The issues in these phenomena and the design solutions to address them satisfactorily are elaborated. Experiments performed for special phenomena, which are not amenable for CFD treatment and experiments carried out for validation of the computer codes have also been described.

In a thermal neutron reactor, multiple recycle of U–Pu fuel is not possible due to degradation of fissile content of Pu in just one recycle. In the FBR closed fuel cycle, possibility of multi-recycle has been recognized. In the present study, Pu-239 equivalence approach is used to demonstrate the feasibility of achieving near constant input inventory of Pu and near stable Pu isotopic composition after a few recycles of the same fuel of the prototype fast breederreactor under construction at Kalpakkam. After about five recycles, the cycle-to-cycle variation in the above parameters is below 1%.

The Shippingport Light Water BreederReactor (LWBR) was a small water cooled, U-233/Th-232 cycle breederreactor developed by the Pittsburgh Naval Reactors to improve utilization of the nation's nuclear fuel resources in light water reactors. The LWBR was operated at Shippingport Atomic Power Station (APS), which was a Department of Energy (DOE) (formerly Atomic Energy Commission)-owned reactor plant. Shippingport APS was the first large-scale, central-station nuclear power plant in the United States and the first plant of such size in the world operated solely to produce electric power. The Shippingport LWBR was operated successfully from 1977 to 1982 at the APS. During the five years of operation, the LWBR generated more than 29,000 effective full power hours (EFPH) of energy. After final shutdown, the 39 core modules of the LWBR were shipped to the Expended Core Facility (ECF) at Naval Reactors Facility at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL). At ECF, 12 of the 39 modules were dismantled and about 1000 of more than 17,000 rods were removed from the modules of proof-of-breeding and fuel performance testing. Some of the removed rods were kept at ECF, some were sent to Argonne National Laboratory-West (ANL-W) in Idaho and some to ANL-East in Chicago for a variety of physical, chemical and radiological examinations. All rods and rod sections remaining after the experiments were shipped back to ECF, where modules and loose rods were repackaged in liners for dry storage. In a series of shipments, the liners were transported from ECF to Idaho Nuclear Technology Engineering Center (INTEC), formerly the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant (ICPP). The 47 liners containing the fully-rodded and partially-derodded core modules, the loose rods, and the rod scraps, are now stored in underground dry wells at CPP-749.

The third stage of Indian nuclear power programme envisages the use of thorium as the fertile material with 233U, which would be obtained from the operation of Pu/Th-based fast reactors in the later part of the second stage. Thorium-based reactors have been designed in many configurations, from light water-cooled designs to high-temperature liquid metal-cooled options. Another option, which holds promise, is the molten salt-fuelled reactor, which can be configured to give significant breeding ratios. A crucial part for achieving reasonable breeding in such reactors is the need to reprocess the salt continuously, either online or in batch mode. India has recently started carrying out fundamental studies so as to arrive at a conceptual design of Indian molten salt breederreactor (IMSBR). Presently, various design options and possibilities are being studied from the point of view of reactor physics and thermal hydraulic design. In parallel, fundamental studies on natural circulation and corrosion behaviour of various molten salts have also been initiated.

MONJU is a prototype fast breederreactor in Japan designed to have a 280-MW(electric) output. The Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation (PNC) started its construction in the autumn of 1985 in Tsuruga. The loading of the core fuel assemblies was started in October 1993, and the preoperational test is ongoing. MONJU uses 198 mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel assemblies as core fuel and 172 depleted uranium assemblies as blanket fuel. Assemblies loaded in-core and stored in the ex-vessel storage tank (EVST) reside in liquid sodium. These plutonium-containing fuel assemblies, MOX, and irradiated depleted uranium are regarded as in the difficult-to-access area, and the flows of fuel assemblies into and out of the area must be verified. Flow is verified by fuel flow monitors measuring radiation, which can limit inspector attendance during fuel handling.

The methods applied or proposed for risk assessment of nuclear reactors are reviewed, particularly with respect to their applicability for risk assessment of future commercial fast breederreactors. All methods are based on the calculation of accident consequences for relatively few accident scenarios. The role and general impact of uncertainties in fast-reactor accident analysis are discussed. The discussion shows the need for improvement of the methodology. A generalized and improved risk-assessment methodology is outlined and proposed (accident-spectra-progression approach). The generalization consists primarily of an explicit treatment of uncertainties throughout the accident progression. The results of this method are obtained in form of consequence distributions. The width and shape of the distributions depend in part on the superposition of the uncertainties. The first moment of the consequence distribution gives an improved prediction of the ''average'' consequence. The higher-consequence moments can be used for consideration of risk aversion. The assessment of the risk of one or a certain number of nuclear reactors can only provide an ''isolated'' risk assessment. The general problem of safety risk assessment and its relation to public acceptance of certain modes of power production is a much broader problem area, which is also discussed.

Thorium has lately attracted considerable attention because it is accumulating as a by-product of large scale rare earth mining. The objective of research is to analyze transient behavior of a heavy water cooled thorium breeder that is designed by Tokai University and Tokyo Institute of Technology. That is oxide fueled, PWR type reactor with heavy water as primary coolant. An example of the optimized core has relatively small moderator to fuel volume ratio (MFR) of 0.6 and the characteristics of the core are burn-up of 67 GWd/t, breeding ratio of 1.08, burn-up reactivity loss during cycles of nuclear reactor accidents types examined here is Unprotected Transient over Power (UTOP) due to withdrawing of the control rod that result in the positive reactivity insertion so that the reactor power will increase rapidly. Another accident type is Unprotected Loss of Flow (ULOF) that caused by failure of coolant pumps. To analyze the reactor accidents, neutron distribution calculation in the nuclear reactor is the most important factor. The best expression for the neutron distribution is the Boltzmann transport equation. However, solving this equation is very difficult so that the space-time diffusion equation is commonly used. Usually, space-time diffusion equation is solved by employing a point kinetics approach. However, this approach is less accurate for a spatially heterogeneous nuclear reactor and the nuclear reactor with quite large reactivity input. Direct method is therefore used to solve space-time diffusion equation which consider spatial factor in detail during nuclear reactor accident simulation. Set of equations that obtained from full implicit finite-difference method is solved by using iterative methods. The indication of UTOP accident is decreasing macroscopic absorption cross-section that results large external reactivity, and ULOF accident is indicated by decreasing coolant flow. The power reactor has a peak value before reactor has new balance condition

SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system simulator is a Human Machine Interface-based software that is able to visualize the process of a plant. This study describes the results of the process of designing a SCADA system simulator that aims to facilitate the operator in monitoring, controlling, handling the alarm, accessing historical data and historical trend in Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) type Fast BreederReactor (FBR). This research used simulation to simulate NPP type FBR Kalpakkam in India. This simulator was developed using Wonderware Intouch software 10 and is equipped with main menu, plant overview, area graphics, control display, set point display, alarm system, real-time trending, historical trending and security system. This simulator can properly simulate the principle of energy flow and energy conversion process on NPP type FBR. This SCADA system simulator can be used as training media for NPP type FBR prospective operators.

Environmentalists lobby points out that hazards which may result from mistakes in proposed fast breederreactor for additional energy can be detrimental for mankind. Such projects must be carefully planned and cautiously executed. (PS)

Fuel pin decontamination is the process of removing particulates of radioactive material from its exterior surface. It is an important process step in nuclear fuel fabrication. It assumes more significance with plutonium bearing fuel known to be highly radio-toxic owing to its relatively longer biological half life and shorter radiological half life. Release of even minute quantity of plutonium oxide powder in the atmosphere during its handling can cause alarming air borne activity and may pose a severe health hazard to personnel working in the vicinity. Decontamination of fuel pins post pellet loading operation is thus mandatory before they are removed from the glove box for further processing and assembly. This paper describes the setting up of ultrasonic decontamination process, installed inside a custom built fume-hood in the production line, comprising of a cleaning tank with transducers, heaters, pin handling device and water filtration system and its application in cleaning of fuel pins for prototype fast breederreactor. The cleaning process yielded a typical decontamination efficiency of more than 99%.

The Experimental BreederReactor - II (EBR-II) was shutdown in September 1994 as mandated by the United States Department of Energy. This sodium-cooled reactor had been in service since 1964. The bulk sodium was drained from the primary and secondary systems and processed. Residual sodium remaining in the systems after draining was converted into sodium bicarbonate using humid carbon dioxide. This technique was tested at Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois under controlled conditions, then demonstrated on a larger scale by treating residual sodium within the EBR-II secondary cooling system, followed by the primary tank. This process, terminated in 2002, was used to place a layer of sodium bicarbonate over all exposed surfaces of sodium. Treatment of the remaining EBR-II sodium is governed by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality issued a RCRA Operating Permit in 2002, mandating that all hazardous materials be removed from EBR-II within a 10 year period, with the ability to extend the permit and treatment period for another 10 years. A preliminary plan has been formulated to remove the remaining sodium and NaK from the primary and secondary systems using moist carbon dioxide, steam and nitrogen, and a water flush. The moist carbon dioxide treatment was resumed in May 2004. As of August 2005, approximately 60% of the residual sodium within the EBR-II primary tank had been treated. This process will continue through the end of 2005, when it is forecast that the process will become increasingly ineffective. At that time, subsequent treatment processes will be planned and initiated. It should be noted that the processes and anticipated costs associated with these processes are preliminary. Detailed engineering has not been performed, and approval for these methods has not been obtained from the regulator or the sponsors.

Reactor physics calculations and literature information acquisition have led to the development of a Clinch River BreederReactor (CRBR) model for the ORIGEN2 computer code. The model is based on cross sections taken directly from physics codes. Details are presented concerning the physical description of the fuel assemblies, the fuel management scheme, irradiation parameters, and initial material compositions. The ORIGEN2 model for the CRBR has been implemented, resulting in the production of graphical and tabular characteristics (radioactivity, thermal power, and toxicity) of CRBR spent fuel, high-level waste, and fuel-assembly structural material waste as a function of decay time. Characteristics for pressurized water reactors (PWRs), commercial liquid-metal fast breederreactors (LMFBRs), and the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) have also been included in this report for comparison with the CRBR data.

The review of the core support structure of the gas cooled fast breederreactor (GCFR) covered such areas as the design criteria, the design and analysis of the concepts, the development plan, and the projected manufacturing costs. Recommendations are provided to establish a basis for future work on the GCFR core support structure.

This learning module is concerned with the temperature field, the heat transfer rates, and the coolant pressure drop in typical liquid metal fast breederreactor (LMFBR) fuel assemblies. As in all of the modules of this series, emphasis is placed on developing the theory and demonstrating the use with a simplified model. The heart of the module is…

Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam (BHAVINI) is engaged in construction of 500MW Prototype Fast BreederReactor (PFBR) at Kalpak am, Chennai. In this very important and prestigious national programme Special Product Division (SPD) of M/s Kay Bouvet Engg.pvt. ltd. (M/s KBEPL) Satara is contributing in a major way by supplying many important sub-assemblies like- Under Water trolley (UWT), Airlocks (PAL, EAL) Container and Storage Rack (CSR) Vessels in Fuel Transfer Cell (FTC) etc for PFBR. SPD of KBEPL caters to the requirements of Government departments like - Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), BARC, Defense, and Government undertakings like NPCIL, BHAVINI, BHEL etc. and other precision Heavy Engg. Industries. SPD is equipped with large size Horizontal Boring Machines, Vertical Boring Machines, Planno milling, Vertical Turret Lathe (VTL) & Radial drilling Machine, different types of welding machines etc. PFBR is 500 MWE sodium cooled pool type reactor in which energy is produced by fissions of mixed oxides of Uranium and Plutonium pellets by fast neutrons and it also breeds uranium by conversion of thorium, put along with fuel rod in the reactor. In the long run, the breederreactor produces more fuel then it consumes. India has taken the lead to go ahead with Fast BreederReactor Programme to produce electricity primarily because India has large reserve of Thorium. To use Thorium as further fuel in future, thorium has to be converted in Uranium by PFBR Technology.

Highlights: • Application of hafnium hydride control rod to large sodium cooled fast breederreactor. • This paper treats application of an innovative hafnium hydride control rod to a large sodium cooled fast breederreactor. • Hydrogen absorption triples the reactivity worth by neutron spectrum shift at H/Hf ratio of 1.3. • Lifetime of the control rod quadruples because produced daughters of hafnium isotopes are absorbers. • Nuclear and thermal hydraulic characteristics of the reactor are as good as or better than B-10 enriched boron carbide. - Abstract: This study treats the feasibility of long-lived hafnium hydride control rod in a large sodium-cooled fast breederreactor by nuclear and thermal analyses. According to the nuclear calculations, it is found that hydrogen absorption of hafnium triples the reactivity by the neutron spectrum shift at the H/Hf ratio of 1.3, and a hafnium transmutation mechanism that produced daughters are absorbers quadruples the lifetime due to a low incineration rate of absorbing nuclides under irradiation. That is to say, the control rod can function well for a long time because an irradiation of 2400 EFPD reduces the reactivity by only 4%. The calculation also reveals that the hafnium hydride control rod can apply to the reactor in that nuclear and thermal characteristics become as good as or better than 80% B-10 enriched boron carbide. For example, the maximum linear heat rate becomes 3% lower. Owing to the better power distribution, the required flow rate decreases approximately by 1%. Consequently, it is concluded on desk analyses that the long lived hafnium hydride control rod is feasible in the large sodium-cooled fast breederreactor.

In light of the scientific evidence for changes in the climate caused by greenhouse-gas emissions from human activities, the world is in ever more desperate need of new, inexhaustible, safe and clean primary energy sources. A viable solution to this problem is the widespread adoption of nuclear breederreactor technology. Innovative breederreactor concepts using liquid-metal coolants such as sodium or lead will be able to utilize the waste produced by the current light water reactor fuel cycle to power the entire world for several centuries to come. Breed & burn (B&B) type fast reactor cores can unlock the energy potential of readily available fertile material such as depleted uranium without the need for chemical reprocessing. Using B&B technology, nuclear waste generation, uranium mining needs and proliferation concerns can be greatly reduced, and after a transitional period, enrichment facilities may no longer be needed. In this dissertation, new passively operating safety systems for fast reactors cores are presented. New analysis and optimization methods for B&B core design have been developed, along with a comprehensive computer code that couples neutronics, thermal-hydraulics and structural mechanics and enables a completely automated and optimized fast reactor core design process. In addition, an experiment that expands the knowledge-base of corrosion issues of lead-based coolants in nuclear reactors was designed and built. The motivation behind the work presented in this thesis is to help facilitate the widespread adoption of safe and efficient fast reactor technology.

Three types of containment configurations for large breederreactors (1000 MWe/2500 MWt) were compared to determine characteristic responses of each type to selected hypothetical accident conditions. The three types of system configurations were the single, double and containment-confinement designs. Two types of postulated hypothetical accidents were applied as a basis for evaluation--the energetic core disassambly accident and the whole core melt-through accident. More than 20 separate cases were analyzed in which design and accident assumptions were varied. Based on this study the containment-confinement configuration is shown to be the most promising for limiting off-site radiation doses for large sodium-cooled breederreactors given the specific assumptions on the initial accident conditions.

This report presents the recommended pump design for use in Large Scale Liquid Metal Fast BreederReactor plants. The base design for the pump will circulate 127,000 GPM of liquid sodium at temperatures up to 850/sup 0/F and with a total discharge head at the design point of 500 feet Na with an impeller that is 40 feet below the sodium seal. The pump design is predicated on developing an impeller design which will have a suction specific speed (S/sub n/) of about 20,000 with 20 feet NPSH available, which will result in a pump speed of 530 RPM at design conditions. The design is based on the technology developed in the design and fabrication of FFTF pumps, the design efforts for the Clinch River BreederReactor Pump design study and other technology.

Details of a baseline conceptual design of a spent fuel shipping cask for the Clinch River BreederReactor (CRBR) are presented including an assessment of shielding, structural, thermal, fabrication and cask/plant interfacing problems. A basis for continued cask development and for new technological development is established. Alternates to the baseline design are briefly presented. Estimates of development schedules, cask utilization and cost schedules, and of personnel dose commitments during CRBR in-plant handling of the cask are also presented.

Prototype Fast BreederReactor (PFBR) is a 500 MWe sodium cooled reactor under design. The main vessel of the reactor serves as the primary boundary. It is surrounded by a safety vessel which in turn is surrounded by biological shield. The gaps between them are filled with nitrogen. Knowledge of temperature distribution prevailing under various operating conditions is essential for the assessment of structural integrity. Due to the presence of cover gas over sodium free level within the main vessel, there are sharp gradients in temperatures. Also cover gas height reduces during station blackout conditions due to sodium level rise in main vessel caused by temperature rise. This paper describes the model used to analyse the natural convection in nitrogen, conduction in structures and radiation interaction among them. Results obtained from parametric studies for PFBR are also presented.

During the period between 1975 and 1980 a series of experiments was performed at the ORNL Tower Shielding Facility in support of the shield design for a 300-MW(e) Gas Cooled Fast Breeder Demonstration Plant. This report reviews the experiments and calculations, which included studies of: (1) neutron streaming in the helium coolant passageways in the GCFR core; (2) the effectiveness of the shield designed to protect the reactor grid plate from radiation damage; (3) the adequacy of the radial shield in protecting the PCRV (prestressed concrete reactor vessel) from radiation damage; (4) neutron streaming between abutting sections of the radial shield; and (5) the effectiveness of the exit shield in reducing the neutron fluxes in the upper plenum region of the reactor.

This final report is a complete conceptual design study of a mechanical pump for a large scale breederreactor plant. The pumps are located in the cold leg side of the loops. This makes the net positive suction head available - NPSHA - low, and is, in fact, a major influencing factor in the design. Where possible, experience gained from the Clinch River Project and the FFTF is used in this study. Experience gained in the design, manufacturer, and testing of pumps in general and sodium pumps in particular is reflected in this report. The report includes estimated cost and time schedule for design, manufacture, and testing. It also includes a recommendation for development needs.

A binary breederreactor (BBR) is a reactor that by means of the transmutation and fission process can operates through the depleted uranium burning with a small quantity of fissile material. The advantages of a BBR with relation to other nuclear reactor types are numerous, taking into account their capacity to operate for a long time without requiring fuel reload or re-arrangement. In this work four different simulations are shown carried out with the MCNPX code with libraries Jeff-3.1 to 1200 K. The objective of this study is to compare two different models of BBR: a spherical reactor and a cylindrical one, using two fuel cycles for each one of them (U-Pu and Th-U) and different reflectors for the two different geometries. For all the models a super-criticality state was obtained at least 10.9 years without carrying out some fuel re-arrangement or reload. The plutonium-239 production was achieved in the models where natural uranium was used in the breeding area, while the production of uranium-233 was observed in the cases where thorium was used in the fertile area. Finally, a behavior of stationary wave reactor was observed inside the models of spherical reactor when contemplating the power uniform increment in the breeding area, while inside the cylindrical models was observed the behavior of a traveling wave reactor when registering the displacement of the burnt wave along the cylindrical model. (Author)

The author firstly gives a summary overview of the knowledge base acquired since the first breederreactors became operational in the 1950s. "Neutronics", thermal phenomena, reactor core cooling, various coolants used and envisioned for this function, fuel fabrication from separated materials, main equipment (pumps, valves, taps, waste cock, safety circuits, heat exchange units, etc.) have now attained maturity, sufficient to implement sodium cooling circuits. Notwithstanding, the use of metallic sodium still raises certain severe questions in terms of safe handling (i.e. inflammability) and other important security considerations. The structural components, both inside the reactor core and outside (i.e. heat exchange devices) are undergoing in-depth research so as to last longer. The fuel cycle, notably the refabrication of fuel elements and fertile elements, the case of transuranic elements, etc., call for studies into radiation induced phenomena, chemistry separation, separate or otherwise treatments for materials that have different radioactive, physical, thermodynamical, chemical and biological properties. The concerns that surround the definitive disposal of certain radioactive wastes could be qualitatively improved with respect to the pressurized water reactors (PWRs) in service today. Lastly, the author notes that breederreactors eliminate the need for an isotope separation facility, and this constitutes a significant contribution to contain nuclear proliferation. Among the priorities for a fully operational system (power station - the fuel cycle - operation-maintenance - the spent fuel pool and its cooling system-emergency cooling system-emergency electric power-transportation movements-equipment handling - final disposal of radioactive matter, independent safety barriers), the author includes materials (fabrication of targets, an irradiation and inspection instrument), the chemistry of all sorting processes, equipment "refabrication" or rehabilitation

This report describes the operation of the Shippingport Atomic Power Station during the LWBR (Light Water BreederReactor) Core lifetime. It also summarizes the plant-oriented operations during the period preceding LWBR startup, which include the defueling of The Pressurized Water Reactor Core 2 (PWR-2) and the installation of the LWBR Core, and the operations associated with the defueling of LWBR. The intent of this report is to examine LWBR experience in retrospect and present pertinent and significant aspects of LWBR operations that relate primarily to the nuclear portion of the Station. The nonnuclear portion of the Station is discussed only as it relates to overall plant operation or to unusual problems which result from the use of conventional equipment in radioactive environments. 30 refs., 69 figs., 27 tabs.

A new safeguards approach of Prototype Fast BreederReactor 'MONJU' has been studied by Japanese Government, IAEA and PNC to meet 1991-1995 safeguards criteria. As the result, a fuel flow monitoring system has been introduced in 'MONJU'. Development of the system has been conducted by PNC and IAEA with technical support of Los Alamos National Laboratory. Safeguards measures in unattended mode with the system can detect fuel loading and unloading into and from the reactor core and distinguish what kind of the fuel. The system are consisted of three monitors using neutron and gamma-ray measurements and video surveillance system. Installation of these monitors was finished by PNC and acceptance test by Japanese Government and IAEA was carried out March, 1992. (author).

Design Study Passive Compact Molten Salt Reactor (PCMSR) with totally passive safety system has been performed. The term of Compact in the PCMSR name means that the reactor system is designed to have relatively small volume per unit power output by using modular and integral concept. In term of modular, the reactor system consists of three modules, i.e. reactor module, turbine module and fuel management module. The reactor module is an integral design that consists of reactor, primary and intermediate heat exchangers and passive post shutdown cooling system. The turbine module is an integral design of a multi heating, multi cooling, regenerative gas turbine. The fuel management module consists of all equipments related to fuel preparation, fuel reprocessing and radioactive handling. The preliminary calculations show that the PCMSR has negative temperature and void reactivity coefficient, passive shutdown characteristic related to fuel pump failure and possibility of using natural circulation for post shutdown cooling system.

An innovative continuous type liquid level monitoring system constructed by using a new class of sensor, viz., pulsating sensor, is presented. This device is of industrial grade and it is exclusively used for level monitoring of any non conducting liquid. This instrument of unique design is suitable for high resolution online monitoring of oil level in dashpots of a sodium-cooled fast breederreactor. The sensing probe is of capacitance type robust probe consisting of a number of rectangular mirror polished stainless steel (SS-304) plates separated with uniform gaps. The performance of this novel instrument has been thoroughly investigated. The precision, sensitivity, response time, and the lowest detection limit in measurement using this device are reactor. With the evolution of this level measurement approach, it is possible to provide dashpot oil level sensors in fast breederreactor for the first time for continuous measurement of oil level in dashpots of Control & Safety Rod Drive Mechanism during reactor operation.

An innovative continuous type liquid level monitoring system constructed by using a new class of sensor, viz., pulsating sensor, is presented. This device is of industrial grade and it is exclusively used for level monitoring of any non conducting liquid. This instrument of unique design is suitable for high resolution online monitoring of oil level in dashpots of a sodium-cooled fast breederreactor. The sensing probe is of capacitance type robust probe consisting of a number of rectangular mirror polished stainless steel (SS-304) plates separated with uniform gaps. The performance of this novel instrument has been thoroughly investigated. The precision, sensitivity, response time, and the lowest detection limit in measurement using this device are reactor. With the evolution of this level measurement approach, it is possible to provide dashpot oil level sensors in fast breederreactor for the first time for continuous measurement of oil level in dashpots of Control & Safety Rod Drive Mechanism during reactor operation.

Experimental and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) investigations have been carried out on a 1/5th scale model of the inlet plenum of steam generator (SG) used in the Fast BreederReactor (FBR) technology. The distribution of liquid sodium in the inlet plenum of the steam generator strongly affects the thermal as well as mechanical performance of the steam generator. In the present work, flow distribution in a scaled down model has been investigated. Various strategies adopted for obtaining uniform flow distribution have been evaluated. Experiments have been conducted to measure the axial and radial velocity distributions using Ultrasonic Velocity Profiler (UVP) under a variety of geometries. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) studies have been carried out for various geometries. On the basis of these experiments and CFD simulations, various flow distribution devices have been compared.

The objective of the compendium is to provide the reader with a guide which briefly describes many of the computer codes used for liquid metal fast breederreactor safety analyses, since it is for this system that most of the codes have been developed. The compendium is designed to address the following frequently asked questions from individuals in licensing and research and development activities: (1) What does the code do. (2) To what safety problems has it been applied. (3) What are the code's limitations. (4) What is being done to remove these limitations. (5) How does the code compare with experimental observations and other code predictions. (6) What reference documents are available.

In the proposed Molten Salt BreederReactor flowsheet, a fraction of the rare earth fission products is removed from the fuel salt in mass transfer cells. To obtain design parameters for this extraction, the effect of cell size, blade diameter, phase volume, and agitation rate on the mass transfer for a high density ratio system (mercury/water) in nondispersing square cross section contactors was determined. Aqueous side mass transfer coefficients were measured by polarography over a wide range of operating conditions. Correlations for the experimental mass transfer coefficients as functions of the operating parameters are presented. Several techniques for measuring mercury-side mass transfer coefficients were evaluated and a new one is recommended. (auth)

Highlights: • The work deals with sodium boiling detection in a liquid metal fast breederreactor. • The authors choose to use acoustic data instead of thermal data. • The method is designed to not to be disturbed by the environment noises. • A real time boiling detection methods are proposed in the paper. - Abstract: This paper deals with acoustic monitoring of sodium boiling in a liquid metal fast breederreactor (LMFBR) based on auto regressive (AR) models which have low computational complexities. Some authors have used AR models for sodium boiling or sodium–water reaction detection. These works are based on the characterization of the difference between fault free condition and current functioning of the system. However, even in absence of faults, it is possible to observe a change in the AR models due to the change of operating mode of the LMFBR. This sets up the delicate problem of how to distinguish a change in operating mode in absence of faults and a change due to presence of faults. In this paper we propose a new approach for boiling detection based on the estimation of AR models on sliding windows. Afterwards, classification of the models into boiling or non-boiling models is made by comparing their coefficients by two statistical methods, multiple linear regression (LR) and support vectors machines (SVM). The proposed approach takes into account operating mode information in order to avoid false alarms. Experimental data include non-boiling background noise data collected from Phenix power plant (France) and provided by the CEA (Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique et aux énergies alternatives, France) and boiling condition data generated in laboratory. High boiling detection rates as well as low false alarms rates obtained on these experimental data show that the proposed method is efficient for boiling detection. Most importantly, it shows that the boiling phenomenon introduces a disturbance into the AR models that can be clearly detected.

The author gives a summary overview of the knowledge base acquired since the first breederreactors became operational in the fifties. Neutron transport theory, thermal phenomena, reactor core cooling, various coolants used and envisioned for this function, fuel fabrication from separated materials, main equipment (pumps, valves, heat exchanges...) have now attained maturity, sufficient to implement sodium cooling circuits. However, the use of metallic sodium still raises certain severe questions in terms of safe handling and security considerations. The structural components, both inside the reactor core and outside (i.e. heat exchangers) are undergoing in-depth research so as to last longer. The fuel cycle, notably the re-fabrication of fuel elements and fertile elements, the case of transuranic elements, etc., call for studies into radiation induced phenomena, chemistry separation, separate or otherwise treatments for materials that have different radioactive, physical, thermodynamical, chemical and biological properties. The concerns that surround the definitive disposal of certain radioactive wastes could be qualitatively improved with respect to the pressurized water reactors (PWRs) in service today. Lastly, the author notes that breederreactors eliminate the need for an isotope separation facility, and this constitutes a significant contribution to contain nuclear proliferation. France was in the forefront of nuclear breeder power generation science, technological research and also in the knowledge base related to breederreactors. It is in the country's interest to pursue these efforts. (author)

The Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) was a 400-MWt, sodium-cooled, low-pressure, high-temperature, fast-neutron flux, nuclear fission reactor plant designed for the irradiation testing of nuclear reactor fuels and materials for the development of liquid metal fast breederreactors (LMFBRs). The FFTF was fueled with plutonium-uranium mixed oxide (MOX) and reflected by Inconel-600. Westinghouse Hanford Company operated the FFTF as part of the Hanford Engineering Development Laboratory (HEDL) for the U.S. Department of Energy on the Hanford Site near Richland, Washington. Although the FFTF was a testing facility not specifically designed to breed fuel or produce electricity, it did provide valuable information for LMFBR projects and base technology programs in the areas of plant system and component design, component fabrication, prototype testing, and site construction. The major objectives of the FFTF were to provide a strong, disciplined engineering base for the LMFBR program, provide fast flux testing for other U.S. programs, and contribute to the development of a viable self-sustaining competitive U.S. LMFBR industry. During its ten years of operation, the FFTF acted as a national research facility to test advanced nuclear fuels, materials, components, systems, nuclear power plant operating and maintenance procedures, and active and passive reactor safety technologies; it also produced a large number of isotopes for medical and industrial users, generated tritium for the U.S. fusion research program, and participated in cooperative, international research work. Prior to the implementation of the reactor characterization program, a series of isothermal physics measurements were performed; this acceptance testing program consisted of a series of control rod worths, critical rod positions, subcriticality measurements, maximum reactivity addition rates, shutdown margins, excess reactivity, and isothermal temperature coefficient reactivity. The results of these

The fast breeder is a type of nuclear reactor that aroused much attention in the 1950s and 1960s. Its ability to produce more nuclear fuel than it consumes offered promises of cheap and reliable energy, and thereby connected it to utopian ideas about an eternal supply of energy, Furthermore. the ideas of breederreactors were a vital part of the post-war visions about the nuclear future. This dissertation investigates the plans for breederreactors in Sweden, connecting them to the contemporary development of nuclear power with heavy or light water and the discussions of nuclear weapons, as well as to the general visions of a prosperous technological future. The history of the Swedish breederreactor is traced from high hopes in the beginning, via the fiasco of the Swedish heavy water program, partly focusing on the activities at the company AB Atomenergi and investigating how it planned and argued for its breeder program and how this was received by the politicians. The story continues into the intensive environmental movement in the 1970s, ending with the Swedish referendum on nuclear energy in 1980, which can be seen as the final point for the Swedish breeder. The thesis discusses how the nuclear breederreactor was transformed from an argument for nuclear power to an argument against it. The breeder began as a part of the vision of a society with abundant energy, but was later seen as a threat against the new sustainable world. The nuclear breederreactor is an example of a technological vision that did not meet its industrial expectations. But that does not prevent the fact that breeder was an influential technology in an age where important decisions about nuclear energy were made. The thesis argues that important decisions about the contemporary reactors were taken with the idea that they in a foreseeable future would be replaced with the efficient breeder. And the last word on the breederreactor is not said - today, reactor engineers around the world are

The thermometer design for the secondary coolant system was improved to prevent recurring failure of the thermometer well due to flow-induced vibration, the direct cause of the sodium leak incident of the prototype fast breederreactor 'MONJU'. To satisfy the requirements of average temperature measurement, response time (within 20 seconds), avoidance and restraint of synchronized vibration, the insertion length of thermometer wells into the pipe was shortened to 110 mm for the response requirement and 60 mm for the no response requirement with a tapered shape. To simplify the installation, thermometer wells are mounted on the existing nozzles. To confirm the suitability of the design, analyses and experiments using the final design of the improved thermometer were performed. By analytical evaluation of flow-induced vibration and strength, the structural integrity was confirmed. Additionally, through flow-induced vibration experience, analyses of vibration characteristics confirmed the suitability. Furthermore, manufacture and welding of the thermometer wells on the existing nozzles were confirmed to be possible. (author)

Highlights: • Performance evaluation of geopolymers subjected to hot liquid sodium is performed. • Apart from mechanical properties, micro-analytical techniques are used for material characterization. • The geopolymer composite showed comparatively lesser damage than conventional cement composites. • Geopolymer technology can emerge as a new choice for sacrificial layer in SCFBRs. - Abstract: A sacrificial layer of concrete is used in sodium cooled fast breederreactors (SCFBRs) to mitigate thermo-chemical effect of accidentally spilled sodium at and above 550 °C on structural concrete. Performance of this layer is governed by thermo-chemical stability of the ingredients of sacrificial layer concrete. Concrete with limestone aggregate is generally used as a sacrificial layer. Conventional cement based systems exhibit instability in hot liquid sodium environment. Geo-polymer composites are well known to perform excellently at elevated temperatures compared to conventional cement systems. This paper discusses performance of such composites subjected to exposure of hot liquid sodium in air. The investigation includes comprehensive evaluation of various geo-polymer composites before any exposure, after heating to 550 °C in air, and after immersing in hot liquid sodium initially heated to 550 °C in air. Results from the current study indicate that hot liquid sodium produces less damage to geopolymer composites than to the existing conventional cement based system. Hence, the geopolymer technology has potential application in mitigating the degrading effects of sodium fires and can emerge as a new choice for sodium exposed sacrificial layer in SCFBRs.

Estimated recurrence frequencies for each of twenty-five generic LMFBR initiating accident categories were quantified using the Clinch River BreederReactor Plant (CRBRP) design. These estimates were obtained using simplified systems fault trees and functional event tree models from the Accident Delineation Study Phase I Final Report coupled with order-of-magnitude estimates for the initiator-dependent failure probabilities of the individual CRBRP engineered safety systems. Twelve distinct protected accident categories where SCRAM is assumed to be successful are estimated to occur at a combined rate of 10/sup -3/ times per year while thirteen unprotected accident categories in which SCRAM fails are estimated to occur at a combined rate on the order of 10/sup -5/ times per year. These estimates are thought to be representative despite the fact that human performance factors, maintenance and repair, as well as input common cause uncertainties, were not treated explicitly. The overall results indicate that for the CRBRP design no single accident category appears to be dominant, nor can any be totally eliminated from further investigation in the areas of accident phenomenology for in-core events and post-accident phenomenology for containment.

An assessment of the state of the art for the gel-sphere-pac process was undertaken to provide a sound basis for further development of the technology. Information is provided on sol preparation, sphere forming, drying, sintering, characterization, loading, fuel rod inspection, and irradiation performance. In addition, discussions are included on: evaluation of the potential for scale-up to production capacities, potential problems associated with remote operation, and future work required to further develop the technology. Three techniques are available for microsphere production: (1) internal gelation, (2) external gelation, and (3) gelation by water extraction. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages; for example, internal gelation appears better suited to the preparation of large spheres than the other processes. Numerous advantages and disadvantages are discussed in detail. Scale-up or remote operation of these techniques appears achievable, although some would require less development than others. Techniques have been developed for drying and sintering spheres. Extensive technology has been developed for sphere characterization, handling, and the loading and inspection of fuel pins. Data available to date indicates that sphere-pac oxide fuel will perform similarly to pellet oxide fuels under fast breederreactor operating conditions. Gel-sphere-pac technology also appears attractive for carbide fuels.

Lithium-based oxide ceramics are studied as breeder blanket materials for the controlled thermonuclear reactors (CTR). Lithium orthosilicate (Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4}) is one of the most promising candidates because of its lithium concentration (0.54 g/cm{sup 3}), its high melting temperature (1523 K) and its excellent tritium release behavior. It is reported that the diffusion of tritium is closely related to that of lithium, so it is possible to find an indirect measure of the trend of tritium studying the diffusivity of Li{sup +}. In the present work, the synthesis of the Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} is carried out by Spray drying followed by pyrolysis. The study of the Li{sup +} ion diffusion on the sintered bodies, is investigated by means of electrical conductivity measurements. The effect of the {gamma}-ray irradiation is evaluated by the impedance spectroscopy method (EIS) from room temperature to 1173 K. The results indicate that the sintesis process employed can produce Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} in the form of pebbles, finally the best ion species for the electrical conduction is the Li{sup +} and is shown that the g-irradiation to a dose of 5MGy, facilitate its mobility through the creation of defects, without change in its conduction process.

The technology of breeding /sup 233/U from /sup 232/Th in a light water reactor is being developed and evaluated by the Westinghouse Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory (BAPL) through operation and examination of the Shippingport Light Water BreederReactor (LWBR). Bettis is determining the end-of-life (EOL) inventory of fissile uranium in the LWBR core by nondestructive assay of a statistical sample comprising approximately 500 EOL fuel rods. This determination is being made with an irradiated-fuel assay gauge based on neutron interrogation and detection of delayed neutrons from each rod. The EOL fissile inventory will be compared with the beginning-of-life fissile loading of the LWBR to determine the extent of breeding. In support of the BAPL proof-of-breeding (POB) effort, Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) carried out destructive physical, chemical, and radiometric analyses on 17 EOL LWBR fuel rods that were previously assayed with the nondestructive gauge. The ANL work included measurements on the intact rods; shearing of the rods into pre-designated contiguous segments; separate dissolution of each of the more than 150 segments; and analysis of the dissolver solutions to determine each segment's uranium content, uranium isotopic composition, and loading of selected fission products. This report describes the facilities in which this work was carried out, details operations involved in processing each rod, and presents a comprehensive discussion of uncertainties associated with each result of the ANL measurements. Most operations were carried out remotely in shielded cells. Automated equipment and procedures, controlled by a computer system, provided error-free data acquisition and processing, as well as full replication of operations with each rod. Despite difficulties that arose during processing of a few rod segments, the ANL destructive-assay results satisfied the demanding needs of the parent LWBR-POB program.

Highlights: • Software development methodology adopted for computer based I&C systems of PFBR is detailed. • Constraints imposed as part of software requirements and coding phase are elaborated. • Compliance to safety and security requirements are described. • Usage of CASE (Computer Aided Software Engineering) tools during software design, analysis and testing phase are explained. - Abstract: Prototype Fast BreederReactor (PFBR) is sodium cooled reactor which is in the advanced stage of construction in Kalpakkam, India. Versa Module Europa bus based Real Time Computer (RTC) systems are deployed for Instrumentation & Control of PFBR. RTC systems have to perform safety functions within the stipulated time which calls for highly dependable software. Hence, well defined software development methodology is adopted for RTC systems starting from the requirement capture phase till the final validation of the software product. V-model is used for software development. IEC 60880 standard and AERB SG D-25 guideline are followed at each phase of software development. Requirements documents and design documents are prepared as per IEEE standards. Defensive programming strategies are followed for software development using C language. Verification and validation (V&V) of documents and software are carried out at each phase by independent V&V committee. Computer aided software engineering tools are used for software modelling, checking for MISRA C compliance and to carry out static and dynamic analysis. Various software metrics such as cyclomatic complexity, nesting depth and comment to code are checked. Test cases are generated using equivalence class partitioning, boundary value analysis and cause and effect graphing techniques. System integration testing is carried out wherein functional and performance requirements of the system are monitored.

A review of the experimental and conceptual design work in progress at JRC-Ispra to investigate the feasibility of the eutectic Li/sub 17/Pb/sub 83/ as a liquid breeder for experimental power reactors is presented. Results of recent measurements to implement the data base of this material are given in the following areas: physical parameters, hydrogen solubility and recovery, chemical reactivity with air and water, compatibility with steel. The studies carried out on blanket concepts for the INTOR (International Tokamak Reactor)/NET (Next European Torus) projects are outlined and discussed.

In this study, quantities of in-vessel shields were derived and compared each other based on the replaceable shield assembly concept for both of the breeder and burner SFRs. Korean Prototype Gen-IV Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor (PGSFR) like SFR was used as the reference reactor and calculation method reported in the reference was used for shielding analysis. In this paper, characteristics of in-vessel shielding design were studied for the burner SFR and breeder SFR based on the replaceable shield assembly concept. An in-vessel shield to prevent secondary sodium activation (SSA) in the intermediate heat exchangers (IHXs) is one of the most important structures for the pool type Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor (SFR). In our previous work, two in-vessel shielding design concepts were compared each other for the burner SFR. However, a number of SFRs have been designed and operated with the breeder concept, in which axial and radial blankets were loaded for fuel breeding, during the past several decades. Since axial and radial blanket plays a role of neutron shield, comparison of required in-vessel shield amount between the breeder and burner SFRs may be an interesting work for SFR designer. Due to the blanket, the breeder SFR showed better performance in axial neutron shielding. Hence, 10.1 m diameter reactor vessel satisfied the design limit of SSA at the IHXs. In case of the burner SFR, due to more significant axial fast neutron leakage, 10.6 m diameter reactor vessel was required to satisfy the design limit of SSA at the IHXs. Although more efficient axial shied such as a mixture of ZrH{sub 2} and B{sub 4}C can improve shielding performance of the burner SFR, additional fabrication difficulty may mitigate the advantage of improved shielding performance. Therefore, it can be concluded that the breeder SFR has better characteristic in invessel shielding design to prevent SSA at the IHXs than the burner SFR in the pool-type reactor.

Highlights: • A helium cooled solid breeder blanket module was designed for CFETR. • Multilayer U-shaped pebble beds were adopted in the blanket module. • Thermal and thermo-mechanical analyses were carried out under normal operating conditions. • The analysis results were found to be acceptable. - Abstract: With the aim to bridge the R&D gap between ITER and fusion power plant, the Chinese Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR) was proposed to be built in China. The mission of CFETR is to address the essential R&D issues for achieving practical fusion energy. Its blanket is required to be tritium self-sufficient. In this paper, a helium cooled solid breeder blanket adopting multilayer U-shaped pebble beds was designed and analyzed. Thermo-mechanical analysis of the first wall and side wall combined with breeder unit was carried out for normal operating steady state conditions. The results showed that the maximum temperatures of the structural material, neutron multiplier and tritium breeder pebble beds are 523 °C, 558 °C and 787 °C, respectively, which are below the corresponding limits of 550 °C, 650 °C and 920 °C. The maximum equivalent stress of the structure is under the allowable value with a margin about 14.5%.

Highlights: • Limestone mortars were exposed to liquid sodium exposure at 550 °C. • Micro-analytical techniques were used to characterize the exposed specimens. • The performance of limestone mortar was greatly influenced by w/c. • The fundamental degradation mechanisms of limestone mortars were identified. - Abstract: Hot liquid sodium at 550 °C can interact with concrete in the scenario of an accidental spillage of sodium in liquid metal cooled fast breederreactors. To protect the structural concrete from thermo-chemical degradation, a sacrificial layer of limestone aggregate concrete is provided over it. This study investigates the fundamental mechanisms of thermo-chemical interaction between the hot liquid sodium and limestone mortars at 550 °C for a duration of 30 min in open air. The investigation involves four different types of cement with variation of water-to-cement ratios (w/c) from 0.4 to 0.6. Comprehensive analysis of experimental results reveals that the degree of damage experienced by limestone mortars displayed an upward trend with increase in w/c ratios for a given type of cement. Performance of fly ash based Portland pozzolana cement was superior to other types of cements for a w/c of 0.55. The fundamental degradation mechanisms of limestone mortars during hot liquid sodium interactions include alterations in cement paste phase, formation of sodium compounds from the interaction between solid phases of cement paste and aggregate, modifications of interfacial transition zone (ITZ), decomposition of CaCO{sub 3}, widening and etching of rhombohedral cleavages, and subsequent breaking through the weakest rhombohedral cleavage planes of calcite, staining, ferric oxidation in grain boundaries and disintegration of impurity minerals in limestone.

Highlights: • Fragmentation of two simultaneous metals jets in a bulk coolant analysed. • Particle size from experiments compared with theoretical analysis. • Jet breakup modes explained using dimensionless numbers. • Settling aspects of aluminium and lead debris on collector plate studied. • Results analysed in light of core debris settling on core catcher in a FBR. - Abstract: The complex and coupled phenomena of two simultaneous molten metal jets fragmenting inside a quiescent liquid pool and settling on a collector plate are experimentally analysed in the context of safety analysis of a fast breederreactor (FBR) in the post accident heat removal phase. Following a hypothetical core melt down accident in a FBR, a major portion of molten nuclear fuel and clad/structural material which are collectively termed as ‘corium’ undergoes fragmentation in the bulk coolant sodium in the lower plenum of the reactor main vessel and settles on the core catcher plate. The coolability of this decay heat generating debris bed is dependent on the particle size distribution and its layering i.e., stratification. Experiments have been conducted with two immiscible molten metals of different densities poured inside a coolant medium to understand their fragmentation behaviour and to assess the possibility of formation of a stratified debris bed. Molten aluminium and lead have been used as simulants in place of molten stainless steel and nuclear fuel to facilitate easy handling. This paper summarizes the major findings from these experiments. The fragmentation of the two molten metals are explained in the light of relevant dimensionless numbers such as Reynolds number and Weber Number. The mass median diameter of the fragmented debris is predicted from nonlinear stability analysis of slender jets for lead jet and using Rayleigh's classical theory of jet breakup for aluminium jet. The agreement of the predicted values with the experimental results is good. These

Identification of development areas and their implementation for rotatable plug (RP) inflatable seals of Na cooled, 500 Mw (e) Prototype Fast BreederReactor (PFBR) and 40 MW (t) Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR) are described, largely based on a late 1990s survey of cover gas seal development (1950s - early 1990s) which defined a set of shortlisted design options and developmental strategy to minimize effort, cost and time. Comparative studies of top shield sealing and evolving FBR designs suggest suitability of inflatable seal as primary barrier in RPs. International experience identified choice and qualification of seal elastomer under synergistic degrading environment of reactor as the prime element of development. The low pressure, non-reinforced, unbeaded, PFBR inflatable seal (made of 50/50 blend of Viton {sup registered} GBL 200S/600S) developed for 10 y life provides a unification scheme for nuclear elastomeric sealing based on 5 peroxide cured fluoroelastomer blend formulations, 1 finite element analysis approach, 1 Teflon-like plasma coating technique and 2 manufacturing processes promising significant gains in standardization, economy and safety. Uniqueness was ab initio development in the absence of established industry or ready-made supply. Part I addresses key areas of design shortlisting, strategy, development and unification with a backdrop of international evolution. (orig.)

This report describes the conceptual design of a materials accounting system for the feed preparation and chemical separations processes of a fast breederreactor spent-fuel reprocessing facility. For the proposed accounting system, optimization techniques are used to calculate instrument measurement uncertainties that meet four different accounting performance goals while minimizing the total development cost of instrument systems. We identify instruments that require development to meet performance goals and measurement uncertainty components that dominate the materials balance variance. Materials accounting in the feed preparation process is complicated by large in-process inventories and spent-fuel assembly inputs that are difficult to measure. To meet 8 kg of plutonium abrupt and 40 kg of plutonium protracted loss-detection goals, materials accounting in the chemical separations process requires: process tank volume and concentration measurements having a precision less than or equal to 1%; accountability and plutonium sample tank volume measurements having a precision less than or equal to 0.3%, a shortterm correlated error less than or equal to 0.04%, and a long-term correlated error less than or equal to 0.04%; and accountability and plutonium sample tank concentration measurements having a precision less than or equal to 0.4%, a short-term correlated error less than or equal to 0.1%, and a long-term correlated error less than or equal to 0.05%. The effects of process design on materials accounting are identified. Major areas of concern include the voloxidizer, the continuous dissolver, and the accountability tank.

A methodology for the assessment of the uncertainties about the reliability of nuclear reactor systems described by Markov models is developed, and the uncertainties about the probability of loss of coolable core geometry (LCG) of the Clinch River BreederReactor (CRBR) due to shutdown system failures, are assessed. Uncertainties are expressed by assuming the failure rates, the repair rates and all other input variables of reliability analysis as random variables, distributed according to known probability density functions (pdf). The pdf of the reliability is then calculated by the moment matching technique. Two methods have been employed for the determination of the moments of the reliability: the Monte Carlo simulation; and the Taylor-series expansion. These methods are adopted to Markovian problems and compared for accuracy and efficiency.

This report presents two detailed computerized operating procedures developed to assist and control the shearing and dissolution of irradiated fuel rods. The procedures were employed in the destructive analysis of end-of-life fuel rods from the Light Water BreederReactor (LWBR) that was designed by the Westinghouse Electric Corporation Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory. Seventeen entire fuel rods from the end-of-life core of the LWBR were sheared into 169 precisely characterized segments, and more than 150 of these segments were dissolved during execution of the LWBR Proof-of-Breeding (LWBR-POB) Analytical Support Project at Argonne National Laboratory. The procedures illustrate our approaches to process monitoring, data reduction, and quality assurance during the LWBR-POB work.

The breeding blanket is a key component of the fusion reactor because it directly involves tritium breeding and energy extraction, both of which are critical to development of fusion power. The lithium ceramics continue to show promise as candidate breeder materials. This promise was recognized by the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) design team in its selection of ceramics as the first option for the ITER breeder material. Blanket design studies have indicated properties in the candidate materials data base that need further investigation. Current studies are focusing on tritium release behavior at high burnup, changes in thermophysical properties with burnup, compatibility between the ceramic breeder and beryllium multiplier, and phase changes with burnup. Laboratory and in-reactor tests, some as part of an international collaboration for development of ceramic breeder materials, are underway. 133 refs., 1 fig.

A fast breederreactor (FBR) closed fuel cycle involves recycling of the discharged fuel, after reprocessing and refabrication, in order to utilize the unburnt fuel and the bred fissile material. Our previous study in this regard for the prototype fast breederreactor (PFBR) indicated the possibility of multiple recycling with self-sufficiency. It was found that the change in Pu composition becomes negligible (less than 1%) after a few cycles. The core-1 Pu increases by 3% from the beginning of cycle-0 to that of recycle-1, the Pu increase from the beginning of the 9th cycle to that of the 10th by only 0.3%. In this work, the possibility of multiple recycling of PFBR fuel with external plutonium feed from pressurized heavy-water reactor (PHWR) is examined. Modified in-core cooling and reprocessing periods are considered. The impact of multiple recycling on PFBR core physics parameters due to the changes in the fuel composition has been brought out. Instead of separate recovery considered for the core and axial blankets in the earlier studies, combined fuel recovery is considered in this study. With these modifications and also with PHWR Pu as external feed, the study on PFBR fuel recycling is repeated. It is observed that the core-1 initial Pu inventory increases by 3.5% from cycle-0 to that of recycle-1, the Pu increase from the beginning of the 9th cycle to that of the 10th is only 0.35%. A comparison of the studies done with different external plutonium options viz., PHWR and PFBR radial blanket has also been made.

Fast breederreactors (FBRs) are provided with redundant and diverse plant protection systems with a very low failure probability (<10-6/reactor year), making core disruptive accident (CDA), a beyond design basis event (BDBE). Nevertheless, safety analysis is carried out even for such events with a view to mitigate their consequences by providing engineered safeguards like the in-vessel core catcher. During a CDA, a significant fraction of the hot molten fuel moves downwards and gets relocated to the lower plate of grid plate. The ability of this plate to resist or delay relocation of core melt further has been investigated by developing appropriate mathematical models and translating them into a computer code HEATRAN-1. The core melt is a time dependent volumetric heat source because of the radioactive decay of the fission products which it contains. The code solves the nonlinear heat conduction equation including phase change. The analysis reveals that if the bottom of grid plate is considered to be adiabatic, melt-through of grid plate (i.e., melting of the entire thickness of the plate) occurs between 800 s and 1000 s depending upon the initial conditions. Knowledge of this time estimate is essential for defining the initial thermal load on the core catcher plate. If heat transfer from the bottom of grid plate to the underlying sodium is taken into account, then melt-through does not take place, but the temperature of grid plate is high enough to cause creep failure.

Fusion reactors are characterized by a lithium-containing blanket, a heat transfer medium that is integral with the blanket and first wall, and a heat engine that couples to the heat transfer medium. A variety of lithium-containing substances have been identified as potential blanket materials, including molten lithium metal, molten LiF--BeF/sub 2/, Pb--Li alloys, and solid ceramic compounds such as Li/sub 2/O. Potential heat transfer media include liquid lithium, liquid sodium, molten nitrates, water, and helium. Each of these coolants and blankets requires a particular set of chemical and mechanical properties with respect to the associated reactor and heat engine structural materials. This paper discusses the materials factors that underlie the selection of workable combinations of blankets and coolants. It also addresses the materials compatibility problems generic to those blanket-coolant combinations currently being considered in reactor design studies.

The design studies for large LMFBR in Japan are being continued by PNC and Electric Companies. Both of them have adopted loop-type and 1000 MWe class reactor as the reference design, but main parameters of the core have not yet been fixed. The main core parameters of the present design are shown. Comparing the geometrical properties with those in ZPPR-9 and 10, some of the degrees of mockup are not satisfactory. In addition, there is another difference between a reactor and a mockup critical assembly. Therefore extrapolation is important to apply the results of JUPITER to the core design.

This report describes the development of an operator procedure prompting aid for startup of a nuclear reactor. This operator aid is a preliminary design for a similar aid that eventually will be used with the Advanced Liquid Metal Reactor (ALMR) presently in the design stage. Two approaches were used to develop this operator procedure prompting aid. One method uses an expert system software shell, and the other method uses database software. The preliminary requirements strongly pointed toward features traditionally associated with both database and expert systems software. Database software usually provides data manipulation flexibility and user interface tools, and expert systems tools offer sophisticated data representation and reasoning capabilities. Both methods, including software and associated hardware, are described in this report. Proposals for future enhancements to improve the expert system approach to procedure prompting and for developing other operator aids are also offered. 25 refs., 14 figs.

The hydrodynamic stability of liquid jets in a liquid continuum, both characterized by low viscosity was analyzed. A linearized mathematical model was developed. This model enables the length necessary for fragmentation of a vertical, symmetric jet of molten fuel by hydraulic forces in the coolant of a liquid metal fast breederreactor to be evaluated. On the basis of this model the FRAG code for numerical calculation of the hydrodynamic fragmentation mechanism was developed.

Reactor system operation and procedures have a profound impact on the conception and design of power plants. These issues are studied here using a model tokamak system employing a solid-breeder blanket. The model blanket is one which has evolved from the STARFIRE and BCSS studies. The reactor parameters are similar to those characterizing near-term fusion engineering reactors such as INTOR or NET (Next European Tokamak). Plasma startup, burn analysis, and methods for operation at various levels of output power are studied. A critical, and complicating, element is found to be the self-consistent electromagnetic response of the system, including the presence of the blanket and the resulting forces and loadings. Fractional power operation, and the strategy for burn control, is found to vary depending on the scaling law for energy confinement, and an extensive study is reported. Full-power reactor operation is at a neutron wall loading pf 5 MW/m/sup 2/ and a surface heat flux of 1 MW/m/sup 2/. The blanket is a pressurized steel module with bare beryllium rods and low-activation HT-9-(9-C-) clad LiAlO/sub 2/ rods. The helium coolant pressure is 5 MPa, entering the module at 297/sup 0/C and exiting at 550/sup 0/C. The system power output is rated at 1000 MW(e). In this report, we present our findings on various operational scenarios and their impact on system design. We first start with the salient aspects of operational physics. Time-dependent analyses of the blanket and balance of plant are then presented. Separate abstracts are included for each chapter.

Innovative Sodium-cooled Fast Reactors (SFRs) are currently being investigated by CEA, AREVA and EDF in the framework of a joint French collaboration, and the construction of a GEN IV prototype, ASTRID (Advanced Sodium Technical Reactor for Industrial Demonstration), is scheduled in the years 2020. Significant improvements are expected so as to improve the reactor safety: the goal is to achieve a robust safety demonstration of the mastering of the consequences of a Core Disruptive Accident (CDA), whether by means of prevention or mitigation features. In this framework, an innovative design was proposed by CEA in 2010. It aims at strongly reducing the sodium void effect, thereby improving the core behavior during unprotected loss of coolant transients. This design is strongly heterogeneous and includes, amongst others, a fertile plate, a sodium plenum associated with a B{sub 4}C upper blanket and a stepwise modulation of the fissile height of the core (onwards referred to as the 'diabolo shape'). In this paper, studies which were entirely carried out at EDF are presented: the full potential of this heterogeneous concept is thoroughly investigated using the SDDS methodology. (authors)

Radioactive Corrosion Product (CP) is a main cause of personal radiation exposure during maintenance with no breached fuel in fast breederreactor (FBR) plants. The most important CP is 54Mn and 60Co. In order to establish techniques of radiation dose estimation for radiation workers in radiation-controlled areas of the FBR, the PSYCHE (Program SYstem for Corrosion Hazard Evaluation) code was developed. We add the Particle Model to the conventional PSYCHE analytical model. In this paper, we performed calculation of CP transfer in JOYO using an improved calculation code in which the Particle Model was added to the PSYCHE. The C/E (calculated / experimentally observed) value for CP deposition was improved through use of this improved PSYCHE incorporating the Particle Model. Moreover, among the percentage of total radioactive deposition accounted for by CP in particle form, 54Mn was estimated to constitute approximately 20 % and 60Co approximately 40 % in the cold-leg region. These calculation results are consistent with the measured results for the actual cold-leg piping in the JOYO.

Most of the studies concerning the dynamo effect are motivated by astrophysical and geophysical applications. The dynamo effect is also the subject of some experimental studies in fast breederreactors (FBR) for they contain liquid sodium in motion with magnetic Reynolds numbers larger than unity. In this paper, we are concerned with the flow of sodium inside the core of an FBR, characterized by a strong helicity. The sodium in the core flows through a network of vertical cylinders. In each cylinder assembly, the flow can be approximated by a smooth upwards helical motion with no-slip conditions at the boundary. As the core contains a large number of assemblies, the global flow is considered to be two-dimensionally periodic. We investigate the self-excitation of a two-dimensionally periodic magnetic field using an instability analysis of the induction equation which leads to an eigenvalue problem. Advantage is taken of the flow symmetries to reduce the size of the problem. The growth rate of the magnetic field is found as a function of the flow pitch, the magnetic Reynolds number (Rm) and the vertical magnetic wavenumber (k). An [alpha]-effect is shown to operate for moderate values of Rm, supporting a mean magnetic field. The large-Rm limit is investigated numerically. It is found that [alpha]=O(Rm[minus sign]2/3), which can be explained through appropriate dynamo mechanisms. Either a smooth Ponomarenko or a Roberts type of dynamo is operating in each periodic cell, depending on k. The standard power regime of an industrial FPBR is found to be subcritical.

Density-functional formalism is applied to study the ground state properties of {gamma}-U-Zr and {gamma}-U-Mo solid solutions. Calculated heats of formation are compared with CALPHAD assessments. We discuss how the heat of formation in both alloys correlates with the charge transfer between the alloy components. The decomposition curves for {gamma}-based U-Zr and U-Mo solid solutions are derived from Ising-type Monte Carlo simulations. We explore the idea of stabilization of the {delta}-UZr{sub 2} compound against the {alpha}-Zr (hcp) structure due to increase of Zr d-band occupancy by the addition of U to Zr. We discuss how the specific behavior of the electronic density of states in the vicinity of the Fermi level promotes the stabilization of the U{sub 2}Mo compound. The mechanism of possible Am redistribution in the U-Zr and U-Mo fuels is also discussed.

Identification of development areas and their implementation for rotatable plug (RP) inflatable seals of Na cooled, 500 Mw (e) Prototype Fast BreederReactor (PFBR) and 40 MW (t) Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR) are described, largely based on a late 1990s survey of cover gas seal development (1950s - early 1990s) which defined a set of shortlisted design options and developmental strategy to minimize effort, cost and time. Comparative study of top shield sealing and evolving FBR designs suggest suitability of inflatable seal as primary barrier in RPs. International experience identified choice and qualification of seal elastomer under synergistic degrading environment of reactor as the prime element of development. The low pressure, non-reinforced, unbeaded, PFBR inflatable seal (made of 50/50 blend of Viton {sup registered} GBL 200S/600S) developed for 10 y life provides a unification scheme for nuclear elastomeric sealing based on 5 peroxide cured fluoroelastomer blend formulations, 1 finite element analysis approach, 1 Teflon-like plasma coating technique and 2 manufacturing processes promising significant gains in standardization, economy and safety. Uniqueness was ab initio development in the absence of established industry or readymade supply. R and D necessities for inflatable seals and their development across the world are given closer look in Part II of the review in continuation of Part I. (orig.)

The present investigation was carried out to assess the localized corrosion resistance of materials proposed for the construction of the safety-grade sodium-to-air decay-heat removal system for fast breederreactors. The materials, such as Alloy 800,9Cr-lMo steel, and type 316LN stainless steel, in different microstructural conditions were assessed for pitting and stress-corrosion cracking resistances in a chloride medium. The results indicated that 9Cr-lMo steel in the normalized and tempered condition can be considered for the above application from the standpoint of corrosion resistance.

This special analysis (SA) evaluates whether the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Waste Associated with the Unirradiated Light Water BreederReactor (LWBR) waste stream (INEL167203QR1, Revision 0) is suitable for shallow land burial (SLB) at the Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Site (RWMS) on the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS). Disposal of the INL Waste Associated with the Unirradiated LWBR waste meets all U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Manual DOE M 435.1-1, “Radioactive Waste Management Manual,” Chapter IV, Section P performance objectives (DOE 1999). The INL Waste Associated with the Unirradiated LWBR waste stream is recommended for acceptance with the condition that the total uranium-233 (233U) inventory be limited to 2.7E13 Bq (7.2E2 Ci).

This report summarizes the operating experience scram data compiled from 35 operating US light water reactors (LWRs) to identify the principal components/systems related to reactor scrams. The data base utilized to identify the scram causes is developed from a EPRI-utility sponsored survey conducted by SAI coupled with recent data from the USNRC Gray Books. The reactor population considered in this evaluation is limited to 23 PWRs and 12 BWRs because of the limited scope of the program. The population includes all the US NSSS vendors. It is judged that this population accurately characterizes the component-related scrams in LWRs over the first 10 years of plant operation.

A nuclear fuel pellet with a porous substrate, such as a carbon or tungsten aerogel, on which at least one layer of a fuel containing material is deposited via atomic layer deposition, and wherein the layer deposition is controlled to prevent agglomeration of defects. Further, a method of fabricating a nuclear fuel pellet, wherein the method features the steps of selecting a porous substrate, depositing at least one layer of a fuel containing material, and terminating the deposition when the desired porosity is achieved. Also provided is a nuclear reactor fuel cladding made of a porous substrate, such as silicon carbide aerogel or silicon carbide cloth, upon which layers of silicon carbide are deposited.

The control and the emergency shutdown of a fast breederreactor depends essentially on control rods. For this reason, it is imperative to know exactly how much anti reactivity is introduced with the rods in the reactor core. Different methods have been compared in order to see if they are compatible with Phenix reactor. Their limits have been studied. The shadow and anti shadow effects that can the rods make one to the other and then their effective weight of the rods screen have been clarified. (N.C.)

To properly design reactorcomponents, an understanding of the various thermal hydraulic phenomena, i.e., thermal stratification flow channeling, recirculation regions, shear layers, etc., is necessary. In the liquid metal breederreactor program, water is commonly used to replace sodium in experimental testing to facilitate the investigations, (i.e., reduce cost and allow fluid velocity measurement or flow pattern study). After water testing, limited sodium tests can be conducted to validate the extrapolation of the water results to sodium. This paper describes a novel laser flow visualization technique being utilized at ANL together with various examples of its use and plans for further development. A 3-watt argon-ion laser, in conjunction with a cylindrical opticallens, has been used to create a thin (approx. 1-mm) intense plane of laser light for the illuminiation of various flow tracers in precisely defined regions of interest within a test article having windows. Both fluorescing dyes tuned to the wavelength of the laser light (to maximize brightness and sharpness of flow image) and small (< 0.038-mm, 0.0015-in. dia.) opaque, nearly neutrally buoyant polystyrene spheres (to ensure that the particles trace out the fluid motion) have been used as flow tracers.

Loop type LMFBR heat transport system dynamics after reactor shutdown and during subsequent decay heat removal are considered with emphasis on steam generator dynamics including the development and evaluation of various post-scram steam generator control systems, and natural circulation of the sodium coolant, including the influence of superimposed free convection on forced convection heat transfer and pressure drop. The normal operating and decay heat removal functions of the overall heat transport system are described.

Information on advanced reactor (AdvRx) component condition and failure probability is necessary to maintaining adequate safety margins and avoiding unplanned shutdowns, both of which have regulatory and economic consequences. Prognostic health management (PHM) technologies provide one approach to addressing these needs by providing the technical means for lifetime management of significant passive components and reactor internals. However, such systems require measurement data that are sensitive to degradation of the component. This paper describes results to date of ongoing research on nondestructive measurements of component condition for degradation mechanisms of relevance to AdvRx concepts. The focus of this paper is on in-situ ultrasonic measurements during high-temperature creep degradation. The data were analyzed to assess the sensitivity of the measurements to creep degradation, with the specific objective of assessing the suitability of the resulting correlations for remaining life prediction. The details of the measurements, results of data analysis, and ongoing research in this area are discussed.

Heat resistant 12% Cr steels of the 16Cr12W2VTaB type (12Cr-2W-V-Ta-B-0.16C) provide a reduced activation material that can be used as a structural material for fusion and fast breederreactors. The composition under study meets scientific and engineering requirements and has an optimal base element composition to provide a δ-ferrite content of no more than 20%. It also has a minimum quantity of low melting impurity elements and non-metallic inclusions. Short-term tensile properties for the steel tested to 700 °C are provided after the standard heat treatment (normalization, temper). Rupture strength and creep properties for the steel depending on the initial heat treatment conditions are also given. The microstructural stability of the 16Cr12W2VTaB type steel at temperatures up to 650 °C is predicted to be good, and the properties of the steel after irradiation in BOR-60 are demonstrated.

Heat resistant 12% Cr steels of the 16Cr12W2VTaB type (12Cr-2W-V-Ta-B-0.16C) provide a reduced activation material that can be used as a structural material for fusion and fast breederreactors. The composition under study meets scientific and engineering requirements and has an optimal base element composition to provide a {delta}-ferrite content of no more than 20%. It also has a minimum quantity of low melting impurity elements and non-metallic inclusions. Short-term tensile properties for the steel tested to 700 deg. C are provided after the standard heat treatment (normalization, temper). Rupture strength and creep properties for the steel depending on the initial heat treatment conditions are also given. The microstructural stability of the 16Cr12W2VTaB type steel at temperatures up to 650 deg. C is predicted to be good, and the properties of the steel after irradiation in BOR-60 are demonstrated.

Highlights: • A methodology to simulate the K-DEMO blanket system was proposed. • The results were compared with the CFD, to verify the prediction capability of MARS. • 46 Blankets in a single sector in K-DEMO were simulated using MARS-KS. • Supervisor program was devised to handle each blanket module individually. • The calculation results showed the flow rates, pressure drops, and temperatures. - Abstract: According to the conceptual design of the fusion DEMO reactor proposed by the National Fusion Research Institute of Korea, the water-cooled breeding blanket system incorporates a total of 736 blanket modules. The heat flux and neutron wall loading to each blanket module vary along their poloidal direction, and hence, thermal analysis for at least one blanket sector is required to confirm that the temperature limitations of the materials are satisfied in all the blanket modules. The present paper proposes a methodology of thermal analysis for multiple modules of the blanket system using a nuclear reactor thermal-hydraulic analysis code, MARS-KS. In order to overcome the limitations of the code, caused by the restriction on the number of computational nodes, a supervisor program was devised, which handles each blanket module separately at first, and then corrects the flow rate, considering pressure drops that occur in each module. For a feasibility test of the proposed methodology, 46 blankets in a single sector were simulated; the calculation results of the parameters, such as mass flow, pressure drops, and temperature distribution in the multiple blanket modules showed that the multi-module analysis method can be used for efficient thermal-hydraulic analysis of the fusion DEMO reactor.

A large fraction of the potential fuel for nuclear power reactors employing fissionable materials exists as ores of thorium. In addition, certain characteristics of a fuel system based on breeding of the fissionable isotope {sup 233}U from thorium offer the possibility of a greater resistance to the diversion of fissionable material for the fabrication of nuclear weapons. This report consolidates into a single source the principal content of two previous reports which assess the radiological environmental impact of mining and milling of thorium ore and of the reprocessing and refabrication of spent FBR thorium-uranium carbide fuel.

Dynamic modeling of LMFBR heat transport system is discussed. Uncontrolled transient behavior of individual components and of the integrated heat transport system are considered. For each component, results showing specific dynamic features of the component and/or model capability were generated. Controlled dynamic behavior for alternative steam generator control systems during forced and natural sodium coolant circulation was analyzed. Combined free and forced convection of laminar and turbulent vertical pipe flow of liquid metals was investigated.

The good safety record of electrical power generating reactors in the European Community is based on a substantial effort to understand the safety characteristics of the reactors and their fuel. In this paper the present state of knowledge of oxide fuels used in current European reactors is reviewed. The main theme of the paper is the importance of the role of fission products and the chemical state of the fuel on all aspects of fuel behaviour. The paper is split into two parts. The first part deals with those aspects specific to water reactors using UO{sub 2} based fuels. The second part of the paper deals with mixed-oxide fuels and the sodium cooled reactors. In each part the following aspects are described: Chemical constitution of the fuel; fuel performance and failure limits; failed fuel behaviour; fuel behaviour in accidents; and the interactions in degraded cores after hypothetical accidents. Future directions of safety related fuel work in Europe are identified. (orig.).

This report was compiled at the Hanford Engineering Development Laboratory operated by Westinghouse Hanford Company, a subsidiary of Westinghouse Electric Corporation, for the United States Atomic Energy Commission, Division of Reactor Development and Technology, under Contract No. AT (45-1) 2170. It describes technical progress made in the Interlaboratory LMFBR Reaction Rate Program during the reporting period. The Interlaboratory LMFBR Reaction Rate (ILRR) program has been established by USAEC/RDT to develop a capability to accurately measure neutron-induced reaction rates for LMFBR fuels and materials development programs. The initial goal for the principal fission reactions, {sup 235}U, {sup 238}U, and {sup 239}Pu, is an accuracy to within {+-}5 at the 95% confidence level. Accurate measurement of other fission and non-fission reactions will be required, but to a lesser accuracy, between {+-}5 to 10% at the 95% confidence level. A secondary program objective is improvement in knowledge of the nuclear parameters involved in fuels and materials dosimetry measurements of neutron flux, spectra, fluence, and burnup. These accuracy goals for the ILRR program are severe; measurements of fast-neutron-induced reaction rates have not been rapidly moving toward this level of precision. Using a number of techniques in well established neutron environments of current interest for fast reactor development and critically evaluating the results will help establish existing levels of accuracy and indicate the scale of effort required for improvement. To accomplish the objectives of this program, reliable and documented experimental values of reaction rates and ratios will be determined for various well established and permanent neutron fields. The Coupled Fast Reactivity Measurement Facility (CFRMF) at Aerojet Nuclear Company (ANC) is the first neutron field being studied because of the similarity of its spectrum to that of a fast reactor and the range and reproducibility of

Based upon analysis, numerous experiments and examination of all known occurrences of large-mass vapor explosions, the following general behavior principle has emerged: Mixing of large quantities of a hot and cold liquid, a necessary condition for developing sustained pressures and large damage potential from thermal interaction, requires spontaneous nucleation upon contact. Since the contact temperature for the mixed-oxide-fuel-sodium system is well below the spontaneous-nucleation temperature for liquid sodium, the current interesting controversy regarding spontaneous nucleation and its role in the vapor-explosion mechanism itself is largely irrelevant for this system. Therefore, current practice is to use the pressure-volume curve determined by the expanding fuel vapor following a postulated hydrodynamic disassembly (which generally results from considering a number of unrealistic physical processes to occur) for safety evaluation. It follows that for reactors like FFTF and CRBR, the extremely unlikely event of a core meltdown is predicted to occur safely, with essentially no energetics involved.

研究开发了快堆钠回路水锤分析专用程序WHA。该程序在一维特征线法（MOC）传统的压力波传播数学模型中补充了钠腔-气腔外边界模型，并采用气泡离散模型模拟低压液柱分离中的蒸汽穴的生成与溃灭。程序用FORTRAN90语言对快堆实验钠回路ESPRESSO中由于阀门的快速开启与关闭引起的压力波传播进行了分析计算。计算结果表明：将钠腔-气腔引入水锤压力波传播的数学模型进行程序计算的结果是合理的。%Based on one-dimensional method of characteristics(MOC), anumerical model of pressure-wave progation is presented in the paper. A special code is programmed to analyze and calculate waterhammer resulted from rapid opening or closing of valve in the experimental sodium circus of fast breederreactor(FBR). In the model, a new outer boundary condition, sodium-cavity is included. Model of bubble's discrete distribution is adopted to simulate generation and collapse of the bubble with the pressure's decreasing and increasing. The results demonstrate that the model of pressure-wave progation is valid.

In the United States, sustainable nuclear power to promote energy security is a key national energy priority. Advanced small modular reactors (AdvSMR), which are based on modularization of advanced reactor concepts using non-light-water reactor (LWR) coolants such as liquid metal, helium, or liquid salt may provide a longer-term alternative to more conventional LWR-based concepts. The economics of AdvSMRs will be impacted by the reduced economy-of-scale savings when compared to traditional LWRs and the controllable day-to-day costs of AdvSMRs are expected to be dominated by operations and maintenance costs. Therefore, achieving the full benefits of AdvSMR deployment requires a new paradigm for plant design and management. In this context, prognostic health management of passive components in AdvSMRs can play a key role in enabling the economic deployment of AdvSMRs. In this paper, the background of AdvSMRs is discussed from which requirements for PHM systems are derived. The particle filter technique is proposed as a prognostics framework for AdvSMR passive components and the suitability of the particle filter technique is illustrated by using it to forecast thermal creep degradation using a physics-of-failure model and based on a combination of types of measurements conceived for passive AdvSMR components.

In this paper it is presented the initial development effort in building a nuclear reactorcomponent simulation package. This package was developed to be used in the MATLAB simulation environment. It uses the graphical capabilities from MATLAB and the advantages of compiled languages, as for instance FORTRAN and C{sup ++}. From the MATLAB it takes the facilities for better displaying the calculated results. From the compiled languages it takes processing speed. So far models from reactor core, UTSG and OTSG have been developed. Also, a series a user-friendly graphical interfaces have been developed for the above models. As a by product a set of water and sodium thermal and physical properties have been developed and may be used directly as a function from MATLAB, or by being called from a model, as part of its calculation process. The whole set was named SIMODIS, which stands for SIstema MODular Integrado de Simulacao. (author)

Objectives of this study were to identify those systems having major impact on safety and availability (i.e. to identify those systems and components whose failures have historically caused the greatest number of challenges to the reactor protective systems and which have resulted in greatest loss of electric generation time). These problems were identified for engineering solutions and recommendations made for areas and programs where research and development should be concentrated. The program was conducted in three major phases: Data Analysis, Engineering Evaluation, Cost Benefit Analysis.

A method and apparatus for improving the performance of a thermal breederreactor having regions of higher than average moderator concentration are disclosed. The fuel modules of the reactor core contain at least two different types of fuel elements, a high enrichment fuel element and a low enrichment fuel element. The two types of fuel elements are arranged in the fuel module with the low enrichment fuel elements located between the high moderator regions and the high enrichment fuel elements. Preferably, shim rods made of a fertile material are provided in selective regions for controlling the reactivity of the reactor by movement of the shim rods into and out of the reactor core. The moderation of neutrons adjacent the high enrichment fuel elements is preferably minimized as by reducing the spacing of the high enrichment fuel elements and/or using a moderator having a reduced moderating effect.

... From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Application for a License To Export Nuclear Reactor Major Components and Equipment Pursuant to 10... Reactor internals, Components and For use in Braka nuclear power Company LLC reactor coolant equipment...

The effect of flow-induced vibration on class I components in the reactor is a very important design factor for its qualifications worthy of loading inside the core. In this regard, a clear definition of the flow excitation and the dynamic characteristics of the component are the two primary inputs required to make an estimation of vibration severity. Though there are general guidelines available, more often it has been seen that they only help in arriving at a first approximation. There are many instances wherein a component has failed to perform as per design in spite of sufficient margin provided in the calculations. There are also instances wherein some components have failed even after successful testing under close to simulated flow condition. The paper deals with qualification procedure followed to flow test an in core component in an out of pile facility. The adopted procedure is considered to be a best approach especially in this field where in there are many gray areas.

Numerical simulation of an unprotected loss-of-flow (ULOF) accident has been performed for a large liquid-metal-cooled fast breederreactor (LMFBR) equipped with gas expansion modules (GEMs) in the radial periphery of the reactor core. The effectiveness of the GEMs in small fast reactors was demonstrated already in the passive safety testing in the Fast Flux Test Facility. According to neutronic calculations based on the transport theory, even in large reactors of electrical power 600 to 1,300 MW, the reactivity worth of GEMs, which replace one layer of radial blanket fuel subassemblies, ranges from -1.9$ to -1.4$, depending on the size of the core. A simulation of ULOF transient was performed with a 5.5s flow-halving time in a 600 MWe LMFBR equipped with GEMs of -1.9$ reactivity worth. The result showed that, if 10% of the rated core coolant flow by pony motors was available following the main pump coastdown, the GEM reactivity alone could bring the reactor subcritical and the predicted maximum coolant temperature was substantially lower than the sodium boiling point. The reactivity worth calculations, a modeling of gas expansion behavior, and ULOF simulation together with needs of further development for the GEM application are described. (author).

The conceptual designs for SG, MCP, CEDM to be installed in the integral reactor SMART were developed. Three-dimensional CAD models for the major components were developed to visualize the design concepts. Once-through helical steam generator was conceptually designed for SMART. Canned motor pump was adopted in the conceptual design of MCP. Linear pulse motor type and ballscrew type CEDM, which have fine control capabilities were studied for adoption in SMART. In parallel with the structural design, the electro-magnetic design was performed for the sizing motors and electro-magnet. Prototypes for the CEDM and MCP sub-assemblies were developed and tested to verify the performance. The impeller design procedure and the computer program to analyze the dynamic characteristics of MCP rotor shaft were developed. The design concepts of SG, MCP, CEDM were also invetigated for the fabricability.

A number of failures of threaded fasteners in nuclear reactorcomponent supports have been reported. Many of those failures were attributed to stress corrosion cracking. This report discusses how stress corrosion cracking can be avoided in bolting by controlling the maximum bolt preloads so that the sustained stresses in the bolts are below the level required to cause stress corrosion cracking. This is a basic departure from ordinary bolted joint design where the only limits on preload are on the minimum preload. Emphasis is placed on the importance of detailed analysis to determine the acceptable range of preload and the selection of a method for measuring the preload that is sufficiently accurate to ensure that the preload is actually within the acceptable range. Procedures for determining acceptable preload range are given, and the accuracy of various methods of measuring preload is discussed.

This white paper provides an overview and status report of the thermal-hydraulic nuclear research and development, both experimental and computational, conducted predominantly at Argonne National Laboratory. Argonne from the early 1970s through the early 1990s was the Department of Energy's (DOE's) lead lab for thermal-hydraulic development of Liquid Metal Reactors (LMRs). During the 1970s and into the mid-1980s, Argonne conducted thermal-hydraulic studies and experiments on individual reactorcomponents supporting the Experimental BreederReactor-II (EBR-II), Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF), and the Clinch River BreederReactor (CRBR). From the mid-1980s and into the early 1990s, Argonne conducted studies on phenomena related to forced- and natural-convection thermal buoyancy in complete in-vessel models of the General Electric (GE) Prototype Reactor Inherently Safe Module (PRISM) and Rockwell International (RI) Sodium Advanced Fast Reactor (SAFR). These two reactor initiatives involved Argonne working closely with U.S. industry and DOE. This paper describes the very important impact of thermal hydraulics dominated by thermal buoyancy forces on reactor global operation and on the behavior/performance of individual components during postulated off-normal accident events with low flow. Utilizing Argonne's LMR expertise and design knowledge is vital to the further development of safe, reliable, and high-performance LMRs. Argonne believes there remains an important need for continued research and development on thermal-hydraulic design in support of DOE's and the international community's renewed thrust for developing and demonstrating the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) reactor(s) and the associated Argonne Liquid Metal-Advanced Burner Reactor (LM-ABR). This white paper highlights that further understanding is needed regarding reactor design under coolant low-flow events. These safety-related events are associated with the transition

Kartini research reactor has been operated in good condition and has demonstrated successful operation for the past 18 years, utilized for: reactor kinetic and control studies, instrumentation tests, neutronic and thermohydraulic studies, routine neutron activation analysis, reactor safety studies, training for research reactor operators and supervisors, and reactor physics experiments. Several components of Kartini reactor use components from the abandoned IRT-2000 Project at Serpong and from Bandung Reactor Centre such as: reactor tank, reactor core, heat exchanger, motor blower for ventilation system, fuel elements, etc. To maintain a good operating performance and also for aging investigation purposes, the component failure data collection has been done. The method used is based on the Manual on Reliability Data Collection For Research Reactor PSAs, IAEA TECDOC 636, and analyzed by using Data Entry System (DES) computer code. Analysis result shows that the components/systems failure rate of Kartini reactor is around 1,5.10{sup -4} up to 2,8.10{sup -4} per hour, these values are within the ranges of the values indicated in IAEA TECDOC 478. Whereas from the analysis of irradiation history shows that the neutron fluence of fuel element with highest burn-up (2,05 gram U-235 in average) is around 1.04.10{sup 16} n Cm{sup -2} and this value is still far below its limiting value. Some reactorcomponents/systems have been replaced and upgraded such as heat exchanger, instrumentation and control system (ICS), etc. The new reactor ICS was installed in 1994 which is designed as a distributed structure by using microprocessor based systems and bus system technology. The characteristic and operating performance of the new reactor ICS, as well as the operation history and improvement of the Kartini research reactor is presented. (J.P.N.)

The Molten Salt Reactor (MSR) is a promising future nuclear fission reactor technology with excellent performance in terms of safety and reliability, sustainability, proliferation resistance and economics. For the design and safety assessment of this concept, it is extremely important to have a thorough knowledge of the physico-chemical properties of molten fluorides salts, which are one of the best options for the reactor fuel. This dissertation presents the thermodynamic description of the ...

The Molten Salt Reactor (MSR) is a promising future nuclear fission reactor technology with excellent performance in terms of safety and reliability, sustainability, proliferation resistance and economics. For the design and safety assessment of this concept, it is extremely important to have a thor

The vessels (reactor tanks) of the Savannah River Site nuclear production reactors constructed in the 1950`s are comprised of Type 304 stainless steel with Type 308 stainless steel weld filler. Irradiation exposure to the reactor tank sidewalls through reactor operation has caused a change in the mechanical properties of these materials. A database of as-irradiated mechanical properties for site-specific materials and irradiation conditions has been produced for reactor tank structural analyses and to quantify the effects of radiation-induced materials degradation for evaluating reactor service life. The data has been collected from the SRL Reactor Materials Program (RMP) irradiations and testing of archival stainless steel weldment components and from previous SRL programs to measure properties of irradiated reactor Thermal Shield weldments and reactor tank (R-tank) sidewall material. Irradiation programs of the RMP are designed to quantify mechanical properties at tank operating temperatures following irradiation to present and future tank wall maximum exposure conditions. The exposure conditions are characterized in terms of fast neutron fluence (E{sub n} > 0.1 MeV) and displacements per atom (dpa){sup 3}. Tensile properties, Charpy-V notch toughness, and elastic-plastic fracture toughness were measured for base, weld, and weld heat-affected zone (HAZ) weldment components from archival piping specimens following a Screening Irradiation in the University of Buffalo Reactor (UBR) and following a Full-Term Irradiation in the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR).

The vessels (reactor tanks) of the Savannah River Site nuclear production reactors constructed in the 1950's are comprised of Type 304 stainless steel with Type 308 stainless steel weld filler. Irradiation exposure to the reactor tank sidewalls through reactor operation has caused a change in the mechanical properties of these materials. A database of as-irradiated mechanical properties for site-specific materials and irradiation conditions has been produced for reactor tank structural analyses and to quantify the effects of radiation-induced materials degradation for evaluating reactor service life. The data has been collected from the SRL Reactor Materials Program (RMP) irradiations and testing of archival stainless steel weldment components and from previous SRL programs to measure properties of irradiated reactor Thermal Shield weldments and reactor tank (R-tank) sidewall material. Irradiation programs of the RMP are designed to quantify mechanical properties at tank operating temperatures following irradiation to present and future tank wall maximum exposure conditions. The exposure conditions are characterized in terms of fast neutron fluence (E{sub n} > 0.1 MeV) and displacements per atom (dpa){sup 3}. Tensile properties, Charpy-V notch toughness, and elastic-plastic fracture toughness were measured for base, weld, and weld heat-affected zone (HAZ) weldment components from archival piping specimens following a Screening Irradiation in the University of Buffalo Reactor (UBR) and following a Full-Term Irradiation in the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR).

Foreign and domestic technology trends, regulatory requirements, design and researches for heavy water reactors are analyzed. Safety design guides of Canada industry and regulatory documents and consultative documents of Canada regulatory agency are reviewed. Applicability of MOST guidance 16 Revision 'guidance for technical criteria of nuclear reactor facility' is reviewed. Specific performance criteria are established for components and facilities for heavy water reactor.

This standard applies to the following types of reactors: shunt reactors, current-limiting reactors including neutral-earthing reactors, damping reactors, tuning (filter) reactors, earthing transformers (neutral couplers), arc-suppression reactors, smoothing reactors, with the exception of the following reactors: small reactors with a rating generally less than 2 kvar single-phase and 10 kvar three-phase, reactors for special purposes such as high-frequency line traps or reactors mounted on rolling stock.

A preliminary design study of GFR with helium gas-cooled has been performed. In this study used natural uranium and plutonium results LWR waste as fuel. Fuel with a small percentage of plutonium are arranged on the inside of the core area, and the fuel with a greater percentage set on the outside of the core area. The configuration of such fuel is deliberately set to increase breeding in this part of the central core and reduce the leakage of neutrons on the outer side of the core, in order to get long-lived reactor with a small reactivity. Configuration of fuel as it is also useful to generate a peak power reactors with relatively low in both the direction of axial or radial. Optimization has been done to fuel fraction 45.0% was found that the reactor may be operating in more than 10 year time with excess reactivity less than 1%.

Role of fast breederreactor (FBR) in the Indian context has been discussed with appropriate justification. The FBR programme since 1985 till 2030 is highlighted focussing on the current status and future direction of fast breeder test reactor (FBTR), prototype fast breederreactor (PFBR) and FBR-1 and 2. Design and technological challenges of PFBR and design and safety targets with means to achieve the same are the major highlights of this paper.

The fuel of Fast BreederReactors which consists of Uranium and Plutonium dioxide is mainly characterized by the amount and distribution of void volume and Plutonium and the amount of oxygen. Irradiation experiments carried out with this fuel have shown that initial structure of the fuel pellet is subjected to large changes during operation. These are consequences of the radial and axial temperature gradients within the fuel rods. (Author) 54 refs.

tests of reference steels of the NRC light water reactor, pressure vessel irradiation dosimetry program. SECURITY CLAS5IICATION 0PHiS PA6GMbn" Dfat ...multiple specimen R- curve approach; NRL emphasis was on the SSC procedure as it is being developed for hot- cell testing of irradiated materials. MULTIPLE...a second autoclave, capable of testing 50 or 100 mm (2T or 4T) thick CT or WOL specimens, was installed in a hot cell and a test was started on 2T-CT

Full Text Available This paper discusses concepts for three-component fuel bundles containing plutonium, uranium and thorium for use in pressurised heavy water reactors, and cases for and against implementation of such a nuclear energy system in the United Kingdom. Heavy water reactors are used extensively in Canada, and are deploying within India and China, whilst the UK is considering the use of heavy water reactors to manage its plutonium inventory of 140 tonnes. The UK heavy water reactor proposal uses a mixed oxide (MOX fuel of plutonium in depleted uranium, within the enhanced CANDU-6 (EC-6 reactor. This work proposes an alternative heterogeneous fuel concept based on the same reactor and CANFLEX fuel bundle, with eight large-diameter fuel elements loaded with natural thorium oxide and 35 small-diameter fuel elements loaded with a MOX of plutonium and reprocessed uranium stocks from UK MAGNOX and AGR reactors. Indicative neutronic calculations suggest that such a fuel would be neutronically feasible. A similar MOX may alternatively be fabricated from reprocessed <5% enriched light water reactor fuel, such as the fuel of the AREVA EPR reactor, to consume newly produced plutonium from reprocessing, similar to the DUPIC (direct use of PWR fuel in CANDU process.

This report describes research results to date in support of the integration and demonstration of diagnostics technologies for prototypical advanced reactor passive components (to establish condition indices for monitoring) with model-based prognostics methods. Achieving this objective will necessitate addressing several of the research gaps and technical needs described in previous technical reports in this series.

Tridimensional image analysis provides a set of methods for the intelligent extraction of information in order to visualize, recognize or inspect objects in volumetric images. In this field of research, we are interested in algorithmic and methodological aspects to extract surface visual information embedded in volume ultrasonic images. The aim is to help a non-acoustician operator, possibly the system itself, to inspect surfaces of vessel and internals in Fast BreederReactors (FBR). Those surfaces are immersed in liquid metal, what justifies the ultrasonic technology choice. We expose firstly a state of the art on the visualization of volume ultrasonic images, the methods of noise analysis, the geometrical modelling for surface analysis and finally curves and surfaces matching. These four points are then inserted in a global analysis strategy that relies on an acoustical analysis (echoes recognition), an object analysis (object recognition and reconstruction) and a surface analysis (surface defects detection). Few literature can be found on ultrasonic echoes recognition through image analysis. We suggest an original method that can be generalized to all images with structured and non-structured noise. From a technical point of view, this methodology applied to echoes recognition turns out to be a cooperative approach between morphological mathematics and snakes (active contours). An entropy maximization technique is required for volumetric data binarization. (author)

This report provides guidance on the component testing necessary during the next phase of fluoride salt-cooled high temperature reactor (FHR) development. In particular, the report identifies and describes the reactorcomponent performance and reliability requirements, provides an overview of what information is necessary to provide assurance that components will adequately achieve the requirements, and then provides guidance on how the required performance information can efficiently be obtained. The report includes a system description of a representative test scale FHR reactor. The reactor parameters presented in this report should only be considered as placeholder values until an FHR test scale reactor design is completed. The report focus is bounded at the interface between and the reactor primary coolant salt and the fuel and the gas supply and return to the Brayton cycle power conversion system. The analysis is limited to component level testing and does not address system level testing issues. Further, the report is oriented as a bottom-up testing requirements analysis as opposed to a having a top-down facility description focus.

This report is the second in a series of compilations of the formal Final Safety Analysis Addenda (FSAA`s) to the EBR-II Hazard Summary Report and Addendum. Sections 2 and 3 are edited versions of the original FSAA`s prepared in support of certain modifications to the reactor-shutdown-system portion of the EBR-II plant-protection system. Section 4 is an edited version of the original FSAA prepared in support of certain modifications to a system classified as an engineered safety feature. These sections describe the pre- and postmodification system, the rationale for the modification, and required supporting safety analysis. Section 5 provides an updated description and analysis of the EBR-II emergency power system. Section 6 summarizes all significant modifications to the EBR-II plant-protection system to date.

This report evaluates abnormal and accident conditions postulated for the EBR-II cover-gas cleanup system (CGCS). Major considerations include loss of CGCS function with a high level of cover-gas activity, loss of the liquid-nitrogen coolant required for removing fission products from the cover gas, contamination of the cover gas from sources other than the reactor, and loss of system pressure boundary. Calculated exposures resulting from the maximum hypothetical accident (MHA) are less than 2% of the 25-Rem limit stipulated in U.S. Regulation 10 CFR 100; i.e., a person standing at any point on an exclusion boundary (area radius of 600 m) for 2 h following onset of the postulated release would receive less than 0.45 Rem whole-body dose. The on-site whole-body dose (10 m from the source) would be less than 16 Rem.

Bundle sodium boiling in nominal geometry for different accident conditions is reviewed. Voiding of a subassembly is controlled by not only hydrodynamic effects but mainly by thermal effects. There is a strong influence of the thermal inertia of the bundle material compared to the sodium thermal inertia. Flow instability, during a slow transient, can be analyzed with numerical tools and estimated using simplified approximations. Stable boiling operational conditions under bundle mixed convection (natural convection in the reactor) can be predicted. Voiding during a fast transient can be approximated from single channel calculations. The phenomenology of boiling behavior for a subassembly with inlet completely blocked, submitted to decay heat and lateral cooling; two-phase sodium flow pressure drop in a tube of large hydraulic diameter under adiabatic conditions; critical flow phenomena and voiding rate under high power, slow transient conditions; and onset of dry out under local boiling remains problematical.

The following report details the significant developments to Sodium Fast Reactor (SFR) technologies made throughout the course of this funding. This report will begin with an overview of the sodium loop and the improvements made over the course of this research to make it a more advanced and capable facility. These improvements have much to do with oxygen control and diagnostics. Thus a detailed report of advancements with respect to the cold trap, plugging meter, vanadium equilibration loop, and electrochemical oxygen sensor is included. Further analysis of the university’s moving magnet pump was performed and included in a section of this report. A continuous electrical resistance based level sensor was built and tested in the sodium with favorable results. Materials testing was done on diffusion bonded samples of metal and the results are presented here as well. A significant portion of this work went into the development of optical fiber temperature sensors which could be deployed in an SFR environment. Thus, a section of this report presents the work done to develop an encapsulation method for these fibers inside of a stainless steel capillary tube. High temperature testing was then done on the optical fiber ex situ in a furnace. Thermal response time was also explored with the optical fiber temperature sensors. Finally these optical fibers were deployed successfully in a sodium environment for data acquisition. As a test of the sodium deployable optical fiber temperature sensors they were installed in a sub-loop of the sodium facility which was constructed to promote the thermal striping effect in sodium. The optical fibers performed exceptionally well, yielding unprecedented 2 dimensional temperature profiles with good temporal resolution. Finally, this thermal striping loop was used to perform cross correlation velocimetry successfully over a wide range of flow rates.

This study examined the behaviour of an anaerobic digester in treating pig farm sewage. The experimental model consisted of a UASB reactor at the bottom and a high-rate sedimentator at the top with a total capacity of 534 litres. The digester was installed on a pig farm and its performance under different operating conditions was determined, with hydraulic retention time (HRT) as the critical parameter for evaluating the anaerobic system`s efficiency. The results obtained during the experiment to establish the critical operating parameters are reported. The organic loads applied for a HRT of 1 day were 7.3 kg/m``3/day of total DQO and 3 kg/m``3/day of soluble DQO, following organic matter removal rates (as total DQO) of 36% and 49% respectively and removal rates (as soluble DQO) of 74% in the UASB and 8% in the sedimentator. The efficiency of the reactor as a whole at this HRT time was a removal rate of 74% of total DQO and 75% of soluble DQO. (Author) 25 refs.

A component scale thermal hydraulic analysis code, CUPID (Component Unstructured Program for Interfacial Dynamics), is being developed for the analysis of components of a nuclear reactor, such as reactor vessel, steam generator, containment, etc. It adopted three-dimensional, transient, two phase and three-field model. In order to develop the numerical schemes for the three-field model, various numerical schemes have been examined including the SMAC, semi-implicit ICE, SIMPLE, Row Scheme and so on. Among them, the ICE scheme for the three-field model was presented in the present report. The CUPID code is utilizing unstructured mesh for the simulation of complicated geometries of the nuclear reactorcomponents. The conventional ICE scheme that was applied to RELAP5 and COBRA-TF, therefore, were modified for the application to the unstructured mesh. Preliminary calculations for the unstructured semi-implicit ICE scheme have been conducted for a verification of the numerical method from a qualitative point of view. The preliminary calculation results showed that the present numerical scheme is robust and efficient for the prediction of phase changes and flow transitions due to a boiling and a flashing. These calculation results also showed the strong coupling between the pressure and void fraction changes. Thus, it is believed that the semi-implicit ICE scheme can be utilized for transient two-phase flows in a component of a nuclear reactor.

由于池式快堆钠池内的热工水力学特性对反应堆的安全运行有重要影响,本文采用基于交错网格的SIMPLE算法开发直角坐标系和柱坐标系下钠池三维计算软件.应用CFX软件进行验证之后,完成了三维流场分析程序与系统分析软件SAC-CFR的耦合,并用耦合后的程序分析日本文殊快堆45％功率稳态运行工况上腔室内的流场分布,初步验证了堆芯上腔三维化的SAC-CFR用于系统分析的有效性,为进一步开发事故模型、非能动余热排出系统模型做准备.%As the thermal-hydraulic characteristic in sodium pool is crucial for safety operation of liquid metal fast breederreactor (LMFBR), a three-dimensional sodium pool thermal-hydraulic analysis code was developed based on SIMPLE algorithm on stagger grid under Cartesian coordinates and cylindrical coordinates. After the validation with CFX, coupling between the analysis code and SAC-CFR was completed) and then the coupled code was applied to the flow field analysis in upper plenum of Monju Plant at 45% thermal power steady-state operation condition, which preliminary shows the effectiveness of the system analysis with coupled code and makes preparations for further development of accident analysis model and passive residual heat removal system.

The structural and other components used in high energy accelerators are continuously exposed to a wide spectrum of high energy particles and electromagnetic radiation. The resulting radiation damage may severely influence the functional capability of accelerator facilities. In order to arrive at an estimate of the service life of various materials in the radiation field, simulating experiments have to be carried out in a nuclear reactor. A large number of organic and inorganic materials, electronic components, metals, etc., intended specifically for use in 400 GeV proton synchrotron of CERN near Geneva, were irradiated in the ASTRA reactor in Seibersdorf near Vienna. The paper reports on the irradiation facilities available in this reactor for this purpose, on the dosimetry methods used, on the most important materials irradiated and on the results obtained in these experiments. (14 refs).

In this work, the Gurson-Tvergaard-Needleman (GTN) damage mechanics model is used for the crack growth analysis of real life reactor piping components. The paper also addresses the challenges involved in such analyses. As a part of component integrity testing, a comprehensive experimental program has been pursued to generate the fracture behavior of reactor piping components. Several real life pipes and elbows with various flaw sizes have been tested under different loading conditions like temperature, pressure, bending etc. In the present work, some of the selected components have been analyzed numerically by using parallel in-house finite element code 'MADAM' with GTN constitutive model. The strength of the micro mechanical models has been demonstrated by comparing the numerical results like load v/s. load-line displacements, J-R curves with the experimental data

This engineering study was developed to evaluate different options for decommissioning of the Heavy Water Components Test Reactor (HWCTR) at the Savannah River Site. This document will be placed in the DOE-SRS Area reading rooms for a period of 30 days in order to obtain public input to plans for the demolition of HWCTR.

Full Text Available Some components of the fusion reactor receives high heat fluxes either during the startup and shutdown or during the operation of the machine. This paper analyzes different ways of enhancing heat transfer using helium and water for cooling of these high heat flux components and then conclusions are drawn to decide the best choice of coolant, for usage in near and long term applications.

Although most of the development work on fast breederreactors has been devoted to the use of liquid metal cooling, interest has been expressed for a number of years in alternative breeder concepts using other coolants. One of a number of concepts in which interest has been retained is the Gas-Cooled Fast Reactor (GCFR). As presently envisioned, it would operate on the uranium-plutonium mixed oxide fuel cycle, similar to that used in the Liquid Metal Fast BreederReactor (LMFBR), and would use helium gas as the coolant.

The Breeder Spent Fuel Handling (BSFH) Program multipurpose cask Design Basis Document defines the performance requirements essential to the development of a legal weight truck cask to transport FFTF spent fuel from reactor to a reprocessing facility and the resultant High Level Waste (HLW) to a repository. 1 ref.

The databases for solid breeder ceramics (Li{sub 2},O, Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4}, Li{sub 2}ZrO{sub 3} and LiAlO{sub 2}) and beryllium multiplier material are critically reviewed and evaluated. Emphasis is placed on physical, thermal, mechanical, chemical stability/compatibility, tritium, and radiation stability properties which are needed to assess the performance of these materials in a fusion reactor environment. Correlations are selected for design analysis and compared to the database. Areas for future research and development in blanket materials technology are highlighted and prioritized.

The overall objective of this study was to conduct a technology gap evaluation on accident tolerant components and severe accident analysis methodologies with the goal of identifying any data and/or knowledge gaps that may exist, given the current state of light water reactor (LWR) severe accident research, and additionally augmented by insights obtained from the Fukushima accident. The ultimate benefit of this activity is that the results can be used to refine the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Reactor Safety Technology (RST) research and development (R&D) program plan to address key knowledge gaps in severe accident phenomena and analyses that affect reactor safety and that are not currently being addressed by the industry or the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

To prevent failure in nuclear components one needs to understand the interactions between adjacent materials and the changes in their physical properties during all phases of reactor operation. Three examples from CANDU reactors are described to illustrate the use of simulations that imitate complicated reactor situations. These are: swelling tests that led to a method for increasing the tolerance or Zircaloy fuel cladding to power ramps; observations of the behaviour of leaking cracks in Zr-2.5Nb pressure tubes that provide confidence in the use of leak-before-break as part of the defence against flaw development; and contact boiling tests on modifications to the surfaces of Zircaloy calandria tubes that enhance the ability of the heavy water moderator to act as a heat sink after a postulated loss-of-coolant accident. (author)

Advanced small modular reactors (aSMRs), which are based on modularization of advanced reactor concepts, may provide a longer-term alternative to traditional light-water reactors and near term small modular reactors (SMRs), which are based on integral pressurized water reactor (iPWR) concepts. aSMRs are conceived for applications in remote locations and for diverse missions that include providing process or district heating, water desalination, and hydrogen production. Several challenges exist with respect to cost-effective operations and maintenance (O&M) of aSMRs, including the impacts of aggressive operating environments and modularity, and limiting these costs and staffing needs will be essential to ensuring the economic feasibility of aSMR deployment. In this regard, prognostic health management (PHM) systems have the potential to play a vital role in supporting the deployment of aSMR systems. This paper identifies requirements and technical gaps associated with implementation of PHM systems for passive aSMR components.

The behavior of electronic components and circuits under radiation is a concern shared by the nuclear industry, the space community and the high-energy physics community. Standard commercial components are used as much as possible instead of radiation hard components, since they are easier to obtain and allow a significant reduction of costs. However, these standard components need to be tested in order to determine their radiation tolerance. The Portuguese Research Reactor (RPI) is a 1 MW pool-type reactor, operating since 1961. The irradiation of electronic components and circuits is one area where a 1 MW reactor can be competitive, since the fast neutron fluences required for testing are in most cases well below 10{sup 16} n/cm{sup 2}. A program was started in 1999 to test electronics components and circuits for the LHC facility at CERN, initially using a dedicated in-pool irradiation device and later a beam line with tailored neutron and gamma filters. Neutron filters are essential to reduce the intensity of the thermal neutron flux, which does not produce significant defects in electronic components but produces unwanted radiation from activation of contacts and packages of integrated circuits and also of the printed circuit boards. In irradiations performed within the line-of-sight of the core of a fission reactor there is simultaneous gamma radiation which complicates testing in some cases. Filters can be used to reduce its importance and separate testing with a pure gamma radiation source can contribute to clarify some irradiation results. Practice has shown the need to introduce several improvements to the procedures and facilities over the years. We will review improvements done in the following areas: - Optimization of neutron and gamma filters; - Dosimetry procedures in mixed neutron / gamma fields; - Determination of hardness parameter and 1 MeV-equivalent neutron fluence; - Temperature measurement and control during irradiation; - Follow-up of reactor

The EBR-II Training Group develops, maintains,and oversees training programs and activities associated with the EBR-II Project. The group originally spent all its time on EBR-II plant-operations training, but has gradually spread its work into other areas. These other areas of training now include mechanical maintenance, fuel manufacturing facility, instrumentation and control, fissile fuel handling, and emergency activities. This report describes each of the programs and gives a statistical breakdown of the time spent by the Training Group for each program. The major training programs for the EBR-II Project are presented by multimedia methods at a pace controlled by the student. The Training Group has much experience in the use of audio-visual techniques and equipment, including video-tapes, 35 mm slides, Super 8 and 16 mm film, models, and filmstrips. The effectiveness of these techniques is evaluated in this report.

This bibliography includes 5465 selected citations on LMFBR development. The citations were compiled from the DOE Energy Data Base covering the period January 1978 (EDB File No. 78R1087) through August 1980 (EDB File No. 80C79142). The references are to reports from the Department of Energy and its contractors, reports from other government or private organizations, and journal articles, books, conference papers, and monographs from US originators. Report citations are arranged alphanumerically by report number; nonreport literature citations are arranged chronologically. Corporate, Personal Author, Subject, and Report Number Indexes are provided in Volume 2.

This bibliogralphy includes 5465 selected citations on LMFBR development. The citations were compiled from the DOE Energy Data Base covering the period January 1978 (EDB File No. 78R1087) through August 1980 (EDB File No. 80C79142). The references are to reports from the Department of Energy and its contractors, reports from other government or private organizations, and journal articles, books, conference papers, and monographs from US originators. Report citations are arranged alphanumerically by report number; nonreport literature citations are arranged chronologically. Corporate, Personal Author, Subject, and Report Number Indexes are provided in Volume 2.

A modern cluster dynamics model has been used to investigate the materials and irradiation parameters that control microstructural evolution under the relatively low-temperature exposure conditions that are representative of the operating environment for in-core light water reactorcomponents. The focus is on components fabricated from austenitic stainless steel. The model accounts for the synergistic interaction between radiation-produced vacancies and the helium that is produced by nuclear transmutation reactions. Cavity nucleation rates are shown to be relatively high in this temperature regime (275 to 325°C), but are sensitive to assumptions about the fine scale microstructure produced under low-temperature irradiation. The cavity nucleation rates observed run counter to the expectation that void swelling would not occur under these conditions. This expectation was based on previous research on void swelling in austenitic steels in fast reactors. This misleading impression arose primarily from an absence of relevant data. The results of the computational modeling are generally consistent with recent data obtained by examining ex-service components. However, it has been shown that the sensitivity of the model s predictions of low-temperature swelling behavior to assumptions about the primary damage source term and specification of the mean-field sink strengths is somewhat greater that that observed at higher temperatures. Further assessment of the mathematical model is underway to meet the long-term objective of this research, which is to provide a predictive model of void swelling at relevant lifetime exposures to support extended reactor operations.

Presently work the bases to apply structural integrity and the handling of the aging of internal components of the pressure vessel of boiling water reactors of water are revised and is carried out an example of structural integrity in the horizontal welding H4 of the encircling one of the core of a reactor, taking data reported in the literature. It is also revised what is required to carry out the handling program or conduct of the aging (AMP). (Author)

Design power plant studies were carried out for two applications of the plasma core reactor: (1) As a breederreactor, (2) As a reactor able to transmute actinides effectively. In addition to the above applications the reactor produced electrical power with a high efficiency. A reactor subsystem was designed for each of the two applications. For the breederreactor, neutronics calculations were carried out for a U-233 plasma core with a molten salt breeding blanket. A reactor was designed with a low critical mass (less than a few hundred kilograms U-233) and a breeding ratio of 1.01. The plasma core actinide transmutation reactor was designed to transmute the nuclear waste from conventional LWR's. The spent fuel is reprocessed during which 100% of Np, Am, Cm, and higher actinides are separated from the other components. These actinides are then manufactured as oxides into zirconium clad fuel rods and charged as fuel assemblies in the reflector region of the plasma core actinide transmutation reactor. In the equilibrium cycle, about 7% of the actinides are directly fissioned away, while about 31% are removed by reprocessing.

Recently, the Californium Rare Isotope Breeder Upgrade (CARIBU) to the Argonne Tandem Linac Accelerator System (ATLAS) was commissioned and became available for production of rare isotopes. Currently, an electron cyclotron resonance ion source is used as a charge breeder for CARIBU beams. To further increase the intensity and improve the purity of neutron-rich ion beams accelerated by ATLAS, we are developing a high-efficiency charge breeder for CARIBU based on an electron beam ion source (EBIS). The CARIBU EBIS charge breeder will utilize the state-of-the-art EBIS technology recently developed at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL). The electron beam current density in the CARIBU EBIS trap will be significantly higher than that in existing operational charge-state breeders based on the EBIS concept. The design of the CARIBU EBIS charge breeder is nearly complete. Long-lead components of the EBIS such as a 6-T superconducting solenoid and an electron gun have been ordered with the delivery schedule in the fall of 2011. Measurements of expected breeding efficiency using the BNL Test EBIS have been performed using a Cs{sup +} surface ionization ion source for external injection in pulsed mode. In these experiments we have achieved {approx}70% injection/extraction efficiency and breeding efficiency into the most abundant charge state of {approx}17%.

Recently, the Californium Rare Isotope Breeder Upgrade (CARIBU) to the Argonne Tandem Linac Accelerator System (ATLAS) was commissioned and became available for production of rare isotopes. Currently, an electron cyclotron resonance ion source is used as a charge breeder for CARIBU beams. To further increase the intensity and improve the purity of neutron-rich ion beams accelerated by ATLAS, we are developing a high-efficiency charge breeder for CARIBU based on an electron beam ion source (EBIS). The CARIBU EBIS charge breeder will utilize the state-of-the-art EBIS technology recently developed at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL). The electron beam current density in the CARIBU EBIS trap will be significantly higher than that in existing operational charge-state breeders based on the EBIS concept. The design of the CARIBU EBIS charge breeder is nearly complete. Long-lead components of the EBIS such as a 6-T superconducting solenoid and an electron gun have been ordered with the delivery schedule in the fall of 2011. Measurements of expected breeding efficiency using the BNL Test EBIS have been performed using a Cs{sup +} surface ionization ion source for external injection in pulsed mode. In these experiments we have achieved {approx}70% injection/extraction efficiency and breeding efficiency into the most abundant charge state of {approx}17%.

A test facility, referred to as the High Temperature Gas-Cooled ReactorComponent Test Facility or CTF, will be sited at Idaho National Laboratory for the purposes of supporting development of high temperature gas thermal-hydraulic technologies (helium, helium-Nitrogen, CO2, etc.) as applied in heat transport and heat transfer applications in High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactors. Such applications include, but are not limited to: primary coolant; secondary coolant; intermediate, secondary, and tertiary heat transfer; and demonstration of processes requiring high temperatures such as hydrogen production. The facility will initially support completion of the Next Generation Nuclear Plant. It will secondarily be open for use by the full range of suppliers, end-users, facilitators, government laboratories, and others in the domestic and international community supporting the development and application of High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor technology. This pre-conceptual facility configuration study, which forms the basis for a cost estimate to support CTF scoping and planning, accomplishes the following objectives: • Identifies pre-conceptual design requirements • Develops test loop equipment schematics and layout • Identifies space allocations for each of the facility functions, as required • Develops a pre-conceptual site layout including transportation, parking and support structures, and railway systems • Identifies pre-conceptual utility and support system needs • Establishes pre-conceptual electrical one-line drawings and schedule for development of power needs.

The use of liquid metals (LMs) as plasma facing components in fusion devices was proposed as early as 1970 for a field reversed concept and inertial fusion reactors. The idea was extensively developed during the APEX Project, at the turn of the century, and it is the subject at present of the biennial International Symposium on Lithium Applications (ISLA), whose fourth meeting took place in Granada, Spain at the end of September 2015. While liquid metal flowing concepts were specially addressed in USA research projects, the idea of embedding the metal in a capillary porous system (CPS) was put forwards by Russian teams in the 1990s, thus opening the possibility of static concepts. Since then, many ideas and accompanying experimental tests in fusion devices and laboratories have been produced, involving a large fraction of countries within the international fusion community. Within the EUROFusion Roadmap, these activities are encompassed into the working programs of the plasma facing components (PFC) and divertor tokamak test (DTT) packages. In this paper, a review of the state of the art in concepts based on the CPS set-up for a fusion reactor divertor target, aimed at preventing the ejection of the liquid metal by electro-magnetic (EM) forces generated under plasma operation, is described and required R+D activities on the topic, including ongoing work at CIEMAT specifically oriented to filling the remaining gaps, are stressed.

Full Text Available Every year, thousands of purebred domestic dogs are bred by registered dog breeders. Yet, little is known about the rearing environment of these dogs, or the attitudes and priorities surrounding breeding practices of these dog breeders. The objective of this study was to explore some of the factors that dog breeders consider important for stock selection, with a particular emphasis on issues relating to the dam. Two-hundred and seventy-four Australian purebred dog breeders, covering 91 breeds across all Australian National Kennel Club breed groups, completed an online survey relating to breeding practices. Most breeders surveyed (76% reported specialising in one breed of dog, the median number of dogs and bitches per breeder was two and three respectively, and most breeders bred two litters or less a year. We identified four components, relating to the dam, that were considered important to breeders. These were defined as Maternal Care, Offspring Potential, Dam Temperament, and Dam Genetics and Health. Overall, differences were observed in attitudes and beliefs across these components, showing that there is variation according to breed/breed groups. In particular, the importance of Maternal Care varied according to dog breed group. Breeders of brachycephalic breeds tended to differ the most in relation to Offspring Potential and Dam Genetics and Health. The number of breeding dogs/bitches influenced breeding priority, especially in relation to Dam Temperament, however no effect was found relating to the number of puppies bred each year. Only 24% of breeders used their own sire for breeding. The finding that some breeders did not test for diseases relevant to their breed, such as hip dysplasia in Labrador Retrievers and German Shepherds, provides important information on the need to educate some breeders, and also buyers of purebred puppies, that screening for significant diseases should occur. Further research into the selection of breeding dams

Molten mixtures of fluorides with UF/sub 4/ as a component have been used as combined fuel and primary heat transfer agent in experimental high-temperature reactors and have been proposed for use in breeders or converters of /sup 233/U from thorium. Such use places stringent and diverse demands upon the fluid fuel. A brief review of chemical behavior of molten fluorides is given to show some of their strengths and weaknesses for such service.

It is important to establish a highly accurate technique of evaluating the sloshing behavior of liquid sodium coolant during earthquake for structural integrity of KALIMER reactor vessel and internals. The analysis procedure of sloshing behaviors is established using finite element computer program ANSYS, and the effectiveness of the procedure is confirmed by comparison with theoretical and experimental results in the literature. The analysis results agree well with experimental ones. Based on the procedure, the sloshing characteristics of liquid sodium coolant in the KALIMER reactor vessel including reactor internal components are evaluated. The maximum response height of sodium free surface at the reactor vessel is about 55cm when subjected to horizontal safe shutdown earthquake (SSE) of 0.3g for seismically isolated reactor building.

In this study the interactions between toxicity removals and Kemicetine, COD removals, intermediate products of Kemicetine and COD components (CODs originating from slowly degradable organics, readily degradable organics, inert microbial products and from the inert compounds) were investigated in a sequential anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR)/aerobic completely stirred tank reactor (CSTR) system with a real pharmaceutical wastewater. The total COD and Kemicetine removal efficiencies were 98% and 100%, respectively, in the sequential ABR/CSTR systems. 2-Amino-1 (p-nitrophenil)-1,3 propanediol, l-p-amino phenyl, p-amino phenol and phenol were detected in the ABR as the main readily degradable inter-metabolites. In the anaerobic ABR reactor, the Kemicetin was converted to corresponding inter-metabolites and a substantial part of the COD was removed. In the aerobic CSTR reactor the inter-metabolites produced in the anaerobic reactor were completely removed and the COD remaining from the anerobic reactor was biodegraded. It was found that the COD originating from the readily degradable organics did not limit the anaerobic degradation process, while the CODs originating from the slowly degradable organics and from the inert microbial products significantly decreased the anaerobic ABR reactor performance. The acute toxicity test results indicated that the toxicity decreased from the influent to the effluent of the aerobic CSTR reactor. The ANOVA test statistics showed that there was a strong linear correlation between acute toxicity, CODs originating from the slowly degradable organics and inert microbial products. A weak correlation between acute toxicity and CODs originating from the inert compounds was detected.

Guidelines were developed for acceptable levels of residual radioactivity in the Heavy Water Components Test Reactor (HWCTR) facility at the conclusion of its decommissioning. Using source terms developed from data generated in a detailed characterization study, the RESRAD and RASRAD-BUILD computer codes were used to calculate derived concentration guideline levels (DCGLs) for the radionuclides that will remain in the facility. The calculated DCGLs, when compared to existing concentrations of radionuclides measured during a 1996 characterization program, indicate that no decontamination of concrete surfaces will be necessary. Also, based on the results of the calculations, activated concrete in the reactor biological shield does not have to be removed, and imbedded radioactive piping in the facility can remain in place. Viewed in another way, the results of the calculations showed that the present inventory of residual radioactivity in the facility (not including that associated with the reactor vessel and steam generators) would produce less than one millirem per year above background to a hypothetical individual on the property. The residual radioactivity is estimated to be approximately 0.04 percent of the total inventory in the facility as of March, 1997. According to the results, the only radionuclides that would produce greater than 0.0.1-millirem per year are Am-241 (0.013 mrem/yr at 300 years), C-14 (0.022 mrem/yr at 1000 years) and U-238 (0.034 mrem/yr at 6000 years). Human exposure would occur only through the groundwater pathways, that is, from water drawn from, a well on the property. The maximum exposure would be approximately one percent of the 4 millirem per year ground water exposure limit established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 11 refs., 13 figs., 15 tabs.

A pre-conceptual design study has been carried out for the Korean fusion demonstration reactor (K-DEMO) tokamak featured by high magnetic field (B{sub T0} = 7.4 T), R = 6.8 m, a = 2.1 m, and a steady-state operation. The design concepts of the K-DEMO blanket system considering the cooling in-vessel components with pressurized water and a solid pebble breeder are described herein. The structure of the K-DEMO blanket is toroidally subdivided into 16 inboard and 32 outboard sectors, in order to allow the vertical maintenance. Each blanket module is composed of plasma-facing first wall, layers of breeding parts, shielding and manifolds. A ceramic breeder using Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} pebbles with Be{sub 12}Ti as neuron multiplier is employed for study. MCNP neutronic simulations and thermo-hydraulic analyses are interactively performed in order to satisfy two key aspects: achieving a global Tritium Breeding Ratio (TBR) >1.05 and operating within the maximum allowable temperature ranges of materials.

The Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) and other High-Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor (HTGR) Projects require research, development, design, construction, and operation of a nuclear plant intended for both high-efficiency electricity production and high-temperature industrial applications, including hydrogen production. During the life cycle stages of an HTGR, plant systems, structures and components (SSCs) will be developed to support this reactor technology. To mitigate technical, schedule, and project risk associated with development of these SSCs, a large-scale test facility is required to support design verification and qualification prior to operational implementation. As a full-scale helium test facility, the Component Test facility (CTF) will provide prototype testing and qualification of heat transfer system components (e.g., Intermediate Heat Exchanger, valves, hot gas ducts), reactor internals, and hydrogen generation processing. It will perform confirmation tests for large-scale effects, validate component performance requirements, perform transient effects tests, and provide production demonstration of hydrogen and other high-temperature applications. Sponsored wholly or in part by the U.S. Department of Energy, the CTF will support NGNP and will also act as a National User Facility to support worldwide development of High-Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor technologies.

The gas outlet temperature of Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR) may be beyond the capability of conventional metallic materials. The requirement of the gas outlet temperature of 950 .deg. C will result in operating temperatures for metallic core components that will approach very high temperature on some cases. The materials that are capable of withstanding this temperature should be prepared, or nonmetallic materials will be required for limited components. The Ni-base alloys such as Alloy 617, Hastelloy X, XR, Incoloy 800H, and Haynes 230 are being investigated to apply them on components operated in high temperature. Currently available national and international codes and procedures are needed reviewed to design the components for HTGR/VHTR. Seven codes and procedures, including five ASME Codes and Code cases, one French code (RCC-MR), and on British Procedure (R5) were reviewed. The scope of the code and code cases needs to be expanded to include the materials with allowable temperatures of 950 .deg. C and higher. The selection of compact heat exchangers technology depends on the operating conditions such as pressure, flow rates, temperature, but also on other parameters such as fouling, corrosion, compactness, weight, maintenance and reliability. Welding, brazing, and diffusion bonding are considered proper joining processes for the heat exchanger operating in the high temperature and high pressure conditions without leakage. Because VHTRs require high temperature operations, various controlled materials, thick vessels, dissimilar metal joints, and precise controls of microstructure in weldment, the more advanced joining processes are needed than PWRs. The improved solid joining techniques are considered for the IHX fabrication. The weldability for Alloy 617 and Haynes 230 using GTAW and SMAW processes was investigated by CEA.

This report identifies a number of requirements for prognostics health management of passive systems in AdvSMRs, documents technical gaps in establishing a prototypical prognostic methodology for this purpose, and describes a preliminary research plan for addressing these technical gaps. AdvSMRs span multiple concepts; therefore a technology- and design-neutral approach is taken, with the focus being on characteristics that are likely to be common to all or several AdvSMR concepts. An evaluation of available literature is used to identify proposed concepts for AdvSMRs along with likely operational characteristics. Available operating experience of advanced reactors is used in identifying passive components that may be subject to degradation, materials likely to be used for these components, and potential modes of degradation of these components. This information helps in assessing measurement needs for PHM systems, as well as defining functional requirements of PHM systems. An assessment of current state-of-the-art approaches to measurements, sensors and instrumentation, diagnostics and prognostics is also documented. This state-of-the-art evaluation, combined with the requirements, may be used to identify technical gaps and research needs in the development, evaluation, and deployment of PHM systems for AdvSMRs. A preliminary research plan to address high-priority research needs for the deployment of PHM systems to AdvSMRs is described, with the objective being the demonstration of prototypic prognostics technology for passive components in AdvSMRs. Greater efficiency in achieving this objective can be gained through judicious selection of materials and degradation modes that are relevant to proposed AdvSMR concepts, and for which significant knowledge already exists. These selections were made based on multiple constraints including the analysis performed in this document, ready access to laboratory-scale facilities for materials testing and measurement, and

This report presents the formulations used in the NEPTUNE code. Specifically, it describes the finite-element formulation of a three-dimensional hexahedral element for simulating the behavior of either fluid or solid continua. Since the newly developed hexahedral element and the original triangular plate element are finite elements, they are compatible in the sense that they can be combined arbitrarily to simulate complex reactorcomponents in three-dimensional space. Because rate-type constitutive relations are used in conjunction with a velocity-strain tensor, the formulation is applicable to large deformation problems. This development can be used to simulate (1) the fluid adjacent to reactorcomponents and (2) the concrete fill found in large reactor head closures.

Highlights: • We proposed a water cooled ceramic breeder blanket with superheated steam. • Superheated steam is generated at the first wall and the front part of breeder zone. • Superheated steam has negligible impact on neutron absorption by coolant in FW and improves TBR. • The superheated steam at higher temperature can improve thermal efficiency. - Abstract: China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR) is an ITER-like superconducting tokamak reactor. Its major radius is 5.7 m, minor radius is 1.6 m and elongation ratio is 1.8. Its mission is to achieve 50–200 MW of fusion power, 30–50% of duty time factor, and tritium breeding ratio not less than 1.2 to ensure the self-sufficiency. As one of the breeding blanket candidates for CFETR, a water cooled breeder blanket with superheated steam is proposed and its conceptual design is being carried out. In this design, sub-cooling water at 265 °C under the pressure of 7 MPa is fed into cooling plates in breeding zone and is heated up to 285 °C with saturated steam generated, and then this steam is pre-superheated up to 310 °C in first wall (FW), final, the pre-superheated steam coming from several blankets is fed into the other one blanket to superheat again up to 517 °C. Due to low density of superheated steam, it has negligible impact on neutron absorption by coolant in FW so that the high energy neutrons entering into breeder zone moderated by water in cooling plate help enhance tritium breeding by {sup 6}Li(n,α)T reaction. Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} pebbles and Be{sub 12}Ti pebbles are chosen as tritium breeder and neutron multiplier respectively, because Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} and Be{sub 12}Ti are expected to have better chemical stability and compatibility with water in high temperature. However, Be{sub 12}Ti may lead to a reduction in tritium breeding ratio (TBR). Furthermore, a spot of sintered Be plate is used to improve neutron multiplying capacity in a multi-layer structure. As one alternative option

Abstract: The Next Generation Systems Analysis Code - referred to as R7 - is reactor systems simulation software being developed to support the Risk-Informed Safety Margin Characterization Pathway of the U.S. Department of Energy's Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program. It will provide an integrated multi-physics environment, implemented in an uncertainty quantification (UQ) framework that can produce risk and other performance insights on long-term reactor operations. An element of this simulation environment will be the performance of passive components and materials. Conventional models of component reliability are largely parametric, relying on plant service data to estimate component lifetimes and failure rates. This type of model has limited usefulness in the R7 environment where the intent is to explicitly determine the influence of physical stressors on component degradation. In this paper, we describe a new class of multi-state physics-based component models designed to be R7-compatible. These models capture the physics of materials degradation while also incorporating the effects of interventions and component rejuvenation. The models are implemented in a cumulative damage framework that allows the impact of an evolving physical environment to be addressed without recourse to resampling within the Monte Carlo-based UQ framework. The paper describes an application to stress corrosion cracking in dissimilar metal welds - a principal contributor to potential loss of coolant accidents. So while R7 will have the more conventional capability of reactor simulation codes to model the impact of degraded components and systems on plant performance, the methodology described here allows R7 to model the inverse effect; the impact of the physical environment on component degradation and performance.

Newly developed bulk-boronized graphites and boronized C-C composites with a total boron concentration ranging from 1 wt % to 30 wt % have been evaluated as plasma-facing component materials for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). Bulk-boronized graphites have been bombarded with high-flux deuterium plasmas at temperatures between 200 and 1600{degree}C. Plasma interaction induced erosion of bulk-boronized graphites is observed to be a factor of 2--3 smaller than that of pyrolytic graphite, in regimes of physical sputtering, chemical sputtering and radiation enhanced sublimation. Postbombardment thermal desorption spectroscopy indicates that bulk-boronized graphites enhance recombinative desorption of deuterium, which leads to a suppression of the formation of deuterocarbon due to chemical sputtering. The tritium inventory in graphite has been found to decrease by an order of magnitude due to 10 wt % bulk-boronization at temperatures above 1000{degree}C. The critical heat flux to induce cracking for bulk-boronized graphites has been found to be essentially the same as that for non-boronized graphites. Also, 10 wt % bulk-boronization of graphite hinders air oxidation nearly completely at 800{degree}C and reduces the steam oxidation rate by a factor of 2--3 at around 1100 and 1350{degree}C. 38 refs., 5 figs.

This work contributes to the design of safe and economical Generation-IV Super-Critical Water Reactors (SCWRs) by providing a basis for selecting structural materials to ensure the functionality of in-vessel components during the entire service life. During the second year of the project, we completed electrochemical characterization of the oxide film properties and investigation of crack initiation and propagation for candidate structural materials steels under supercritical conditions. We ranked candidate alloys against their susceptibility to environmentally assisted degradation based on the in situ data measure with an SRI-designed controlled distance electrochemistry (CDE) arrangement. A correlation between measurable oxide film properties and susceptibility of austenitic steels to environmentally assisted degradation was observed experimentally. One of the major practical results of the present work is the experimentally proven ability of the economical CDE technique to supply in situ data for ranking candidate structural materials for Generation-IV SCRs. A potential use of the CDE arrangement developed ar SRI for building in situ sensors monitoring water chemistry in the heat transport circuit of Generation-IV SCWRs was evaluated and proved to be feasible.

We present a new conceptual design for a fusion reactor blanket that is intended to produce fissile material for fission power plants. Fast fission is suppressed by using beryllium instead of uranium to multiply neutrons. Thermal fission is suppressed by minimizing the fissile inventory. The molten-salt breeding medium (LiF + BeF/sub 2/ + ThF/sub 4/) is circulated through the blanket and to the on-line processing system where /sup 233/U and tritium are continuously removed. Helium cools the blanket and the austenitic steel tubes that contain the molten salt. Austenitic steel was chosen because of its ease of fabrication, adequate radiation-damage lifetime, and low corrosion by molten salt. We estimate that a breeder having 3000 MW of fusion power will produce 6500 kg of /sup 233/U per year. This amount is enough to provide makeup for 20 GWe of light-water reactors per year or twice that many high-temperature gas-cooled reactors or Canadian heavy-water reactors. Safety is enhanced because the afterheat is low and blanket materials do not react with air or water. The fusion breeder based on a pre-MARS tandem mirror is estimated to cost $4.9B or 2.35 times a light-water reactor of the same power. The estimated cost of the /sup 233/U produced is $40/g for fusion plants costing 2.35 times that of a light-water reactor if utility owned or $16/g if government owned.

Numerical models are useful to study the behaviour of the extruder as a polymerization reactor. With a correct numerical model a theoretical analysis of the influence of several reaction and extruder parameters can be made, the limitations of the use of the extruder reactor can be determined and the

1. A neutronic reactor having a moderator, coolant tubes traversing the moderator from an inlet end to an outlet end, bodies of material fissionable by neutrons of thermal energy disposed within the coolant tubes, and means for circulating water through said coolant tubes characterized by the improved construction wherein the coolant tubes are constructed of aluminum having an outer diameter of 1.729 inches and a wall thickness of 0.059 inch, and the means for circulating a liquid coolant through the tubes includes a source of water at a pressure of approximately 350 pounds per square inch connected to the inlet end of the tubes, and said construction including a pressure reducing orifice disposed at the inlet ends of the tubes reducing the pressure of the water by approximately 150 pounds per square inch.

The irradiation effects in solid breeder materials are important for the performance assessment of fusion reactor blanket systems. For a clearer understanding of such effects, we have studied the production behavior of irradiation defects in some lithium ceramics by an in-situ luminescence measurement technique under ion beam irradiation. The luminescence spectra were measured at different temperatures, and the temperature-transient behaviors of luminescence intensity were also measured. The production mechanisms of irradiation defects were discussed on the basis of the observations. (author)

Safety considerations in large future fusion reactors like ITER are important before licensing the reactor. Several scenarios are considered hazardous, which include safety of plasma-facing components during hard disruptions, high heat fluxes and thermal stresses during normal operation, accidental energy release, and aerosol formation and transport. Disruption events, in large tokamaks like ITER, are expected to produce local heat fluxes on plasma-facing components, which may exceed 100 GW/m{sup 2} over a period of about 0.1 ms. As a result, the surface temperature dramatically increases, which results in surface melting and vaporization, and produces thermal stresses and surface erosion. Plasma-facing components safety issues extends to cover a wide range of possible scenarios, including disruption severity and the impact of plasma-facing components on disruption parameters, accidental energy release and short/long term LOCA's, and formation of airborne particles by convective current transport during a LOVA (water/air ingress disruption) accident scenario. Study, and evaluation of, disruption-induced aerosol generation and mobilization is essential to characterize database on particulate formation and distribution for large future fusion tokamak reactor like ITER. In order to provide database relevant to ITER, the SIRENS electrothermal plasma facility at NCSU has been modified to closely simulate heat fluxes expected in ITER.

The Multi-purpose Research Reactor was a pressurized-water reactor cooled and moderated with heavy water. It was built from 1961 to 1966 and went critical for the first time on 29 September 1965. After nineteen years of successful operation, the reactor was de-activated on 3 May 1984. The reactor had a thermal output of 200 MW and an electrical output of 50 MW. The MZFR not only served to supply electrical power, but also as a test bed for: - research into various materials for reactor building (e. g. zirkaloy), - the manufacturing and operating industry to gain experience in erection and operation, - training scientific and technical reactor staff, and - power supply (first nuclear combined-heat-and-power system, 1979-1984). The experience gained in operating the MZFR was very helpful for the development and operation of power reactors. At first, safe containment and enclosure of the plant was planned, but then it was decided to dismantle the plant completely, step by step, in view o f the clear advantages of this approach. The decommissioning concept for the complete elimination of the plant down to a green-field site provides for eight steps. A separate decommissioning license is required for each step. As part of the dismantling, about 72,000 Mg [metric tons] of concrete and 7,200 Mg of metal (400 Mg RPV) must be removed. About 700 Mg of concrete (500 Mg biological shield) and 1300 Mg of metal must be classified as radioactive waste.

Modified AL-6XN austenite steel was patterned after AL-6XN superaustenitic stainless steel by introducing microalloy elements such as zirconium and titanium in order to adapt to recrystallizing thermo-mechanical treatment and further improve crevice corrosion resistance. Modified AL-6XN exhibited comparable tensile strength, and superior plasticity and impact toughness to commercial AL-6XN steel. The effects of aging behavior on corrosion resistance and impact toughness were measured to evaluate the qualification of modified AL-6XN steel as an in-core component and cladding material in a supercritical water-cooled reactor. Attention should be paid to degradation in corrosion resistance and impact toughness after aging for 50 hours when modified AL-6XN steel is considered as one of the candidate materials for in-core components and cladding tubes in supercritical water-cooled reactors.

This report documents a study conducted to investigate the applicability of existing LWR casks to shipment of long-cooled LMFBR fuel from the Clinch River BreederReactor Plant (CRBRP) to the Breeder Reprocessing Engineering Test (BRET) Facility. This study considered a base case of physical constraints of plants and casks, handling capabilities of plants, through-put requirements, shielding requirements due to transportation regulation, and heat transfer capabilities of the cask designs. Each cask design was measured relative to the base case. 15 references, 4 figures, 6 tables.

增殖包层作为实现可控核聚变燃料“自持”的关键，不仅能实现氚的增殖，而且起着能量转换的作用，氚增殖剂是其中最重要的功能材料。本文从材料体系的制备、性能以及改性总结了固态氚增殖剂的发展趋势。同时，基于当前的研究现状对固态氚增殖剂的发展进行了展望。%The breeding blanket is a key component of the fusion reactor because it directly involves tritium breeding and energy extraction.Tritium breeding material is one of the most important functional materials.Herein,we reviewed the trends in solid tritium breeder development,including the fabrication,properties and modification.Meanwhile,the focus of the solid tritium breeder materials were prospected based on the current research situa-tion.

Full Text Available Vertical integration in poultry industry strongly emphasizes the importance of cost control at all levels. In the usual broiler production operations, the costs involved with the production of the hatching egg or the day old chick are negligible if seen in the perspective of the cost per kg of live bird. From a research point of view, anyway, the greatest attention is usually given to the performance of broiler breeders, and most of the research in the field is focused on the improvement of their relative performance, mainly in terms of saleable chicks produced per hen, while less attention has been given to the quality of the chick and to the improvement of its growth performances, even if these last parameters have an effective impact on the overall economics of the poultry growing business. Most of the data available is quite dated, as can be seen from some recent reviews, and in general little attention is given to the impact of parental nutrition on the subsequent broiler performance. It is in fact more usual to find data about dam nutrition influence on egg fertility and hatchability than on subsequent progeny performance. The objectives of this review were to assess, on the basis of published reports, the effects of selected nutrients and anti-nutrients normally prevailing in commercial broiler breeder feeds - vitamins, micro-minerals, mycotoxins, - trying to pinpoint which could be the positive and the negative effects of both on the subsequent broiler performance, with a particular attention to the impact on immune function and carcass yield.

This engineering study evaluates different alternatives for decontamination and decommissioning of the Heavy Water Components Test Reactor (HWCTR). Cooled and moderated with pressurized heavy water, this uranium-fueled nuclear reactor was designed to test fuel assemblies for heavy water power reactors. It was operated for this purpose from march of 1962 until December of 1964. Four alternatives studied in detail include: (1) dismantlement, in which all radioactive and hazardous contaminants would be removed, the containment dome dismantled and the property restored to a condition similar to its original preconstruction state; (2) partial dismantlement and interim safe storage, where radioactive equipment except for the reactor vessel and steam generators would be removed, along with hazardous materials, and the building sealed with remote monitoring equipment in place to permit limited inspections at five-year intervals; (3) conversion for beneficial reuse, in which most radioactive equipment and hazardous materials would be removed and the containment building converted to another use such as a storage facility for radioactive materials, and (4) entombment, which involves removing hazardous materials, filling the below-ground structure with concrete, removing the containment dome and pouring a concrete cap on the tomb. Also considered was safe storage, but this approach, which has, in effect, been followed for the past 30 years, did not warrant detailed evaluation. The four other alternatives were evaluate, taking into account factors such as potential effects on the environment, risks, effectiveness, ease of implementation and cost. The preferred alternative was determined to be dismantlement. This approach is recommended because it ranks highest in the comparative analysis, would serve as the best prototype for the site reactor decommissioning program and would be most compatible with site property reuse plans for the future.

This report provides results of an analytical study of high concentration PCB paint in a shutdown nuclear test reactor located at the US Department of Energy's Savannah River Site (SRS). The study was designed to obtain data relevant for an evaluation of potential hazards associated with the use of and exposure to such paints.

A study was conducted at Oak Ridge National Laboratory to evaluate the role of thorium fuel cycles in power reactors. Three thermal reactor systems were considered: Light Water Reactors (LWRs); High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactors (HTGRs); and Heavy Water Reactors (HWRs) of the Canadian Deuterium Uranium Reactor (CANDU) type; most of the effort was on these systems. A summary comparing thorium and uranium fuel cycles in Fast BreederReactors (FBRs) was also compiled.

The results of an international comparison calculation of a large (1250 MWe) LMFBR benchmark model are presented and discussed. Eight reactor configurations were calculated. Parameters included with the comparison were: eigenvalue, k/sub infinity/, neutron balance data, breeding reaction rate ratios, reactivity worths, central control rod worth, regional sodium void reactivity, core Doppler and effective delayed neutron fraction. Ten countries participated in the comparison, and sixteen solutions were contributed. The discussion focuses on the variation in parameter values, the degree of consistency among the various parameters and solutions, and the identification of unexpected results. The results are displayed and discussed both by individual participants and by groupings of participants (e.g., results from adjusted data sets versus non-adjusted data sets).

CFETR is the “ITER-like” China fusion engineering test reactor. The design of the breeding blanket is one of the key issues in achieving the required tritium breeding radio for the self-sufficiency of tritium as a fuel. As one option, a BIT (breeder insider tube) type helium cooled ceramic breeder blanket (HCCB) was designed. This paper presents the design of the BIT—HCCB blanket configuration inside a reactor and its structure, along with neutronics, thermo-hydraulics and thermal stress analyses. Such preliminary performance analyses indicate that the design satisfies the requirements and the material allowable limits.

Full Text Available The quality of the nuclear data is essential for AREVA NP. Indeed, many AREVA NP activities such as reactor design, safety studies or reactor instrumentation use them as input data. So, the nuclear data can be considered as a key element for AREVA NP. REVA NP’s contribution in the improvement of the nuclear data consists in a joint effort with the CEA. It means a financing and a sharing of information which can give an orientation to the future research axis. The aim of this article is to present the industrial point of view from AREVA NP on the research on nuclear data. Several examples of collaborations with the CEA which have resulted in an improvement of the nuclear data are presented.

A test loop using NaK as the working fluid is presently in use to study material compatibility effects on various components that comprise a possible nuclear reactor design for use on the lunar surface. A DC electromagnetic (EM) pump has been designed and implemented as a means of actively controlling the NaK flow rate through the system and an EM flow sensor is employed to monitor the developed flow rate. These components allow for the matching of the flow rate conditions in test loops with those that would be found in a full-scale surface-power reactor. The design and operating characteristics of the EM pump and flow sensor are presented. In the EM pump, current is applied to a set of electrodes to produce a Lorentz body force in the fluid. A measurement of the induced voltage (back-EMF) in the flow sensor provides the means of monitoring flow rate. Both components are compact, employing high magnetic field strength neodymium magnets thermally coupled to a water-cooled housing. A vacuum gap limits the heat transferred from the high temperature NaK tube to the magnets and a magnetically-permeable material completes the magnetic circuit. The pump is designed to produce a pressure rise of 5 psi, and the flow sensor's predicted output is roughly 20 mV at the loop's nominal flow rate of 0.5 GPM.

The Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) is the most recent liquid-metal reactor (LMR) to operate in the United States, from 1982 to 1992. FFTF is located on the DOE Hanford Site near Richland, Washington. The 400-MWt sodium-cooled, low-pressure, high-temperature, fast-neutron flux, nuclear fission test reactor was designed specifically to irradiate Liquid Metal Fast BreederReactor (LMFBR) fuel and components in prototypical temperature and flux conditions. FFTF played a key role in LMFBR development and testing activities. The reactor provided extensive capability for in-core irradiation testing, including eight core positions that could be used with independent instrumentation for the test specimens. In addition to irradiation testing capabilities, FFTF provided long-term testing and evaluation of plant components and systems for LMFBRs. The FFTF was highly successful and demonstrated outstanding performance during its nearly 10 years of operation. The technology employed in designing and constructing this reactor, as well as information obtained from tests conducted during its operation, can significantly influence the development of new advanced reactor designs in the areas of plant system and component design, component fabrication, fuel design and performance, prototype testing, site construction, and reactor operations. The FFTF complex included the reactor, as well as equipment and structures for heat removal, containment, core component handling and examination, instrumentation and control, and for supplying utilities and other essential services. The FFTF Plant was designed using a “system” concept. All drawings, specifications and other engineering documentation were organized by these systems. Efforts have been made to preserve important lessons learned during the nearly 10 years of reactor operation. A brief summary of Lessons Learned in the following areas will be discussed: Acceptance and Startup Testing of FFTF FFTF Cycle Reports

The results of an experimental research on high heat flux thermal crisis in forced convective subcooled water flow, under operative conditions of interest to the thermal-hydraulic design of TOKAMAK fusion reactors, are here reported. These experiments, carried out in the framework of a collaboration between the Nuclear Engineering Department of Palermo University and the National Institute of Thermal - Fluid Dynamics of the ENEA - Casaccia (Rome), were performed on the STAF (Scambio Termico Alti Flussi) water loop and consisted, essentially, in a high speed photographic study which enabled focusing several information on bubble characteristics and flow patterns taking place during the burnout phenomenology.

The Fire Vulnerability of Aged Electrical Components Test Program is to identify and assess issues of plant aging that could lead to an increase in nuclear power plant risk because of fires. Historical component data and prior analyses are used to prioritize a list of components with respect to aging and fire vulnerability and the consequences of their failure on plant safety systems. The component list emphasizes safety system control components, but excludes cables, large equipment, and devices encompassed in the Equipment Qualification (EQ) program. The test program selected components identified in a utility survey and developed test and fire conditions necessary to maximize the effectiveness of the test program. Fire damage considerations were limited to purely thermal effects.

The stated goal of this work was to develop a versatile system which could accurately measure vessel and valve internal vibrations and cavitation formation under in-service conditions in nuclear power plants, ultrasonically. The developed technology will benefit the nuclear power generation industry by allowing plant operators to monitor valve and vessel internals during operation. This will help reduce planned outages and plant component failures. During the course of this work, Structural Integrity Associates, Inc. gathered information from industry experts that target vibration amplitudes to be detected should be in the range of 0.001-in to 0.005-in (0.025-mm to 0.127-mm) and target vibration frequency ranges which should be detected were found to be between 0-Hz and 300-Hz. During the performed work, an ultrasonic measuring system was developed which utilized ultrasonic pulse-echo time-of-flight measurements to measure vibration frequency and amplitude. The developed system has been shown to be able to measure vibration amplitudes as low as 0.0008-in (0.020-mm) with vibration frequencies in the range of 17-Hz to 1000-Hz. Therefore, the developed system was able to meet the industry needs for vibration measurement. The developed ultrasonic system was also to be able to measure cavitation formation by monitoring the received ultrasonic time- and frequency-domain signals. This work also demonstrated the survivability of commercially available probes at temperatures up to 300-F for several weeks.

The improvements proposed in this invention provide a reliable apparatus and method to gasify low rank coals in a class of pressurized circulating fluidized bed reactors termed "transport gasifier." The embodiments overcome a number of operability and reliability problems with existing gasifiers. The systems and methods address issues related to distribution of gasification agent without the use of internals, management of heat release to avoid any agglomeration and clinker formation, specific design of bends to withstand the highly erosive environment due to high solid particles circulation rates, design of a standpipe cyclone to withstand high temperature gasification environment, compact design of seal-leg that can handle high mass solids flux, design of nozzles that eliminate plugging, uniform aeration of large diameter Standpipe, oxidant injection at the cyclone exits to effectively modulate gasifier exit temperature and reduction in overall height of the gasifier with a modified non-mechanical valve.

This paper reports the design and safety analysis results of the helium cooled solid breeder blanket of the Chinese Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR). Materials selection and basic structure of the blanket have been presented. Performance analysis including neutronics analysis and thermo-mechanical analysis has shown good results. And the safety analysis of the blanket under Loss Of Coolant Accident (LOCA) conditions has been described. Results showed the current design can deal well with the selected accident scenarios.

This report evaluates the available technical information and field experience related to management of aging damage to light water reactor metal containments. A generic aging management approach is suggested for the effective and comprehensive aging management of metal containments to ensure their safe operation. The major concern is corrosion of the embedded portion of the containment vessel and detection of this damage. The electromagnetic acoustic transducer and half-cell potential measurement are potential techniques to detect corrosion damage in the embedded portion of the containment vessel. Other corrosion-related concerns include inspection of corrosion damage on the inaccessible side of BWR Mark I and Mark II containment vessels and corrosion of the BWR Mark I torus and emergency core cooling system piping that penetrates the torus, and transgranular stress corrosion cracking of the penetration bellows. Fatigue-related concerns include reduction in the fatigue life (a) of a vessel caused by roughness of the corroded vessel surface and (b) of bellows because of any physical damage. Maintenance of surface coatings and sealant at the metal-concrete interface is the best protection against corrosion of the vessel.

An analysis is made of the engineering problems related to the structures facing the plasma in experimental tokamak-type reactors. Attention is focused on the so-called ''current first wall'', i.e. the wall side of the blanket segments facing the plasma, and on the collector plates of the impurity control system. The design of a first wall, developed at the JRC-Ispra for INTOR/NET and based on the idea of conceiving it as one of the sides, of a box which envelopes a blanket segment, is described. The progress in the structural analysis of the first wall box under operating and abnormal (plasma disruption) conditions is presented and discussed. The design of the collector plates of the single-null divertor of INTOR/NET, as developed at the JRC-Ispra, is described. This design is based on a W-Re protective layer and a water-cooled heat sink, including cooling channels iun Cu-alloys and a Cu-matrix for bonding. The results of the elastic and elasto-plastic evaluations are discussed, together with a layout of the experimental activity in progress. It is concluded that, even if the uncertainties related to the plasma-wall interaction are still relevant, the engineering solutions identified look manageable, although they require a large research and development effort.

The results of tests of plasma treatment of zirconium and deposition of protective yttrium coatings used as the methods of protection of zirconium components of light water reactor cores against hydrogenation are detailed. The amount of hydrogen in the treated sample exposed to superheated steam for 2500 h at temperature T = 400°C and pressure p = 1 atm was five times lower than the corresponding value for the untreated one. The amount of hydrogen in the sample coated with yttrium remained almost unchanged in 4000 h of exposure. A plasma method for rapid testing for hydrogen resistance is proposed. The hydrogenation rate provided by this method is 700 times higher than that in tests with superheated steam. The results of preliminary experiments confirm the possibility of constructing a unit for batch processing of the surfaces of fuel rod claddings.

This invention relates to a method for producing components with internal architectures, and more particularly, this invention relates to a method for producing structures with microchannels via the use of diffusion bonding of stacked laminates. Specifically, the method involves weakly bonding a stack of laminates forming internal voids and channels with a first generally low uniaxial pressure and first temperature such that bonding at least between the asperites of opposing laminates occurs and pores are isolated in interfacial contact areas, followed by a second generally higher isostatic pressure and second temperature for final bonding. The method thereby allows fabrication of micro-channel devices such as heat exchangers, recuperators, heat-pumps, chemical separators, chemical reactors, fuel processing units, and combustors without limitation on the fin aspect ratio.

Two experiments were conducted to determine if previously suggested nutrient requirements of broiler breeders (23 g protein, 850 mg sulfur amino acids, 4.5 g calcium, and 750 mg phosphorus/bird/day) are in excess and could be reduced during the laying period. In Experiment 1, Cobb color-sex broiler breeders were fed daily nutrient allowances that were 100.0, 96.3, 92.5, 89.4, and 86.6% of the suggested requirements. In Experiment 2, Cobb feather-sex breeders were fed daily allowances that were 92.5, 89.4, 86.6, 83.4, and 80.9% of the suggested requirements. Birds on all diets were fed the same energy level; however, energy varied with season to maintain body weight. Egg production, fertility, hatchability, egg weight, and shell quality were not significantly affected by the reductions in nutrient intake in either experiment. The diet with the lowest nutrient level (80.9% of the suggested requirement) was adequate, indicating a considerable margin of safety for the stated requirements. Body weight was quite variable but tended to decrease with nutrient restriction. Weights of broilers hatched from treated breeders were not significantly affected at 49 days of age by the breeder dietary treatments. These results indicate that broiler breeder diets formulated to meet presently suggested requirements have a large margin of safety and a reduction of specifications by approximately 10% is suggested. The revised daily intakes recommended are: 20.6 g protein, 754 mg sulfur amino acids, 400 mg methionine, 938 mg lysine, 1379 mg arginine, 256 mg tryptophan, 4.07 g calcium, 683 mg total phosphorus, and 170 mg sodium.

The Modular Pebble Bed Reactor system (MPBR) requires a gas turbine cycle (Brayton cycle) as the power conversion system for it to achieve economic competitiveness as a Generation IV nuclear system. The availability of controllable helium turbomachinery and compact heat exchangers are thus the critical enabling technology for the gas turbine cycle. The development of an initial reference design for an indirect helium cycle has been accomplished with the overriding constraint that this design could be built with existing technology and complies with all current codes and standards. Using the initial reference design, limiting features were identified. Finally, an optimized reference design was developed by identifying key advances in the technology that could reasonably be expected to be achieved with limited R&D. This final reference design is an indirect, intercooled and recuperated cycle consisting of a three-shaft arrangement for the turbomachinery system. A critical part of the design process involved the interaction between individual component design and overall plant performance. The helium cycle overall efficiency is significantly influenced by performance of individual components. Changes in the design of one component, a turbine for example, often required changes in other components. To allow for the optimization of the overall design with these interdependencies, a detailed steady state and transient control model was developed. The use of the steady state and transient models as a part of an iterative design process represents a key contribution of this work. A dynamic model, MPBRSim, has been developed. The model integrates the reactor core and the power conversion system simultaneously. Physical parameters such as the heat exchangers; weights and practical performance maps such as the turbine characteristics and compressor characteristics are incorporated into the model. The individual component models as well as the fully integrated model of the

The CASTOC project addresses environmentally assisted cracking (EAC) phenomena in low alloy steels used for pressure boundary components in both Western type boiling water reactors (BWR) and Russian type pressurised water reactors (VVER). It comprises the four work packages (WP): inter-laboratory comparison test (WP1); EAC behaviour under static load (WP2), EAC behaviour under cyclic load and load transients (WP3); evaluation of the results with regard to their relevance for components in practice (WP4). The use of sophisticated test facilities and measurement techniques for the on-line detection of crack advances have provided a more detailed understanding of the mechanisms of environmentally assisted cracking and provided quantitative data of crack growth rates as a function of loading events and time, respectively. The effect of several major parameters controlling EAC was investigated with particular emphasis on the transferability of the results to components in service. The obtained crack growth rate data were reflected on literature data and on commonly applied prediction curves as presented in the appropriate Code. At relevant stress intensity factors it could be shown that immediate cessation of growing cracks occurs after changing from cyclic to static load in high purity oxygenated BWR water and oxygen-free VVER water corresponding to steady state operation conditions. Susceptibility to environmentally assisted cracking under static load was observed for a heat affected zone material in oxygenated high purity water and also in base materials during a chloride transient representing BWR water condition below Action Level 1 of the EPRI Water Chemistry Guidelines according to the lectrical conductivity of the water but in the range of Action Level 2 according to the content of chlorides. Time based crack growth was also observed in one Russian type base material in oxygenated VVER water and in one Western type base material in oxygenated high purity BWR

In this paper the results of theoretical and experimental studies of the component content of active particles formed in a plasma-chemical reactor composed of a multiple-cell generator of active particles, based on volume barrier discharge, and a working chamber are presented. For calculation of the content of uncharged plasma components an approach is proposed which is based on averaging of the power introduced over the entire volume. Advantages of such an approach lie in an absence of fitting parameters, such as the dimensions of microdischarges, their surface density and rate of breakdown. The calculation and the experiment were accomplished with the use of dry air (20% relative humidity) as the plasma generating medium. Concentrations of O3, HNO3, HNO2, N2 O5 and NO3 were measured experimentally in the discharge volume and working chamber for the residence time of particles on a discharge of 0.3 s and more and discharge specific power of 1.5 W cm-3. It has been determined that the best agreement between the calculation and the experiment occurs at calculated gas medium temperatures in the discharge plasma of about 400-425 K, which correspond to the experimentally measured rotational temperature of nitrogen. In most cases the calculated concentrations of O3, HNO3, HNO2, N2O5 and NO3 for the barrier discharge and the working chamber are in fairly good agreement with the respective measured values.

The paper brings out the advantages of fast breederreactor and importance of developing closed nuclear fuel cycle for the large scale energy production, which is followed by its salient safety features. Further, the current status and future strategy of the fast reactor programme since the inception through 40 MWt/13 MWe Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR), is highlighted. The challenges and achievements in science and technology of FBRs focusing on safety are described with the particular reference to 500 MWe capacity Prototype Fast BreederReactor (PFBR), being commissioned at Kalpakkam. Roadmap with comprehensive R&D for the large scale deployment of Sodium Cooled Fast Reactor (SFRs) and timely introduction of metallic fuel reactors with emphasis on breeding gain and enhanced safety are being brought out in this paper.

In this work, the heat flux limits of conventional plasma-facing components (PFC) were examined. The limits are based on maximum allowable temperature and stress levels in the structures. The substrate materials considered were V, SiC composite and HT-9. The use of Cu also was considered. However, low temperature limits, activation and very limited radiation damage life time, make the using of Cu in a commercial power plant unattractive. With selected heat transfer enhancement, the heat flux allowable is about 5.3 MW/m{sup 2} for lithium-cooled V-alloy, 2.7 MW/m{sup 2} for helium-cooled SiC composite, and 2.7 MW/m{sup 2} for helium/water-cooled HT-9. Compared with the maximum heat flux attainable with Cu and cold water (13.4 MW/m{sup 2}), acceptable power plant materials place severe restrictions on heat removal. The thermal conductivity of SiC composite at 1,000 C and after irradiation is a factor of several lowered than the value the authors used. This indicates a need to examine the heat transfer problems associated with PFC, in terms of material development and enhancement in heat transfer. Physics regimes which can provide low peak and average heat flux should be pursued.

Full Text Available This article examines the media history of one of the hallmark civil nuclear energy programs in Western Germany – the development of Liquid Metal Fast BreederReactor (LMFBR technology. Promoted as a kind of perpetuum mobile of the Atomic Age, the "German Manhattan Project" not only imported big science thinking. In its context, nuclear technology was also put forth as an avantgarde of scientific inquiry, dealing with the most complex and critical technological endeavors. In the face of the risks of nuclear technology, German physicist Wolf Häfele thus announced a novel epistemology of "hypotheticality". In a context where traditional experimental engineering strategies became inappropiate, he called for the application of advanced media technologies: Computer Simulations (CS and Systems Analysis (SA generated computerized spaces for the production of knowledge. In the course of the German Fast Breeder program, such methods had a twofold impact. One the one hand, Häfele emphazised – as the "father of the German Fast Breeder" – the utilization of CS for the actual planning and construction of the novel reactor type. On the other, namely as the director of the department of Energy Systems at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA, Häfele advised SA-based projections of energy consumption. These computerized scenarios provided the rationale for the conception of Fast Breeder programs as viable and necessary alternative energy sources in the first place. By focusing on the role of the involved CS techniques, the paper thus investigates the intertwined systems thinking of nuclear facilities’s planning and construction and the design of large-scale energy consumption and production scenarios in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as their conceptual afterlives in our contemporary era of computer simulation.

Full Text Available During January, 2003 Pasteurella multocida the causative agent of fowl cholera was isolated from a breeder flock in Lahore District. The age of the flock was 245 days. Increased mortality, swollen wattles and lameness were the clinical findings present in almost all the affected birds, while gross lesions were typical of fowl cholera. To prove the virulence of the organism, mice and six-week old cockerals were infected and P. multocida was reisolated.

Numerical models are useful to study the behaviour of the extruder as a polymerization reactor. With a correct numerical model a theoretical analysis of the influence of several reaction and extruder parameters can be made, the limitations of the use of the extruder reactor can be determined and the

A nuclear power plant is composed of many structures, systems, and components (SSCs). Examples include emergency core cooling systems, feedwater systems, and electrical systems. The design of a reactor consists of combining various SSCs (building blocks) into an integrated plant design. A new reactor design is the result of combining old SSCs in new ways or use of new SSCs. This report identifies, describes, and characterizes SSCs with passive and inherent features that can be used to assure safety in light-water reactors. Existing, proposed, and speculative technologies are described. The following approaches were used to identify the technologies: world technical literature searches, world patent searches, and discussions with universities, national laboratories and industrial vendors. 214 refs., 105 figs., 26 tabs.

Until recently, the indeterminacy in the group capture cross sections of constructional elements at neutron energies above 1 keV were estimated at 15-20%, leading to an error of 0.2 and 1%, respectively, in calculating K/sub ef/ and the conversion factor of breederreactors with oxide fuel and sodium coolant. In fact, calculations using the BNAB-78 group constants used in the USSR for the design development of fast reactors show that the mean neutron capture cross section of constructional elements (iron, nickel, and chromium) is approx. 1.4 times greater for a typical breederreactor than in the case of calculation by the version of Carnaval IV used in France for the Superphoenix reactors. To refine the proportion of neutrons absorbed in stainless steel, the neutron balance in media consisting of uranium fuel and stainless steel with nickel in a proportion ensuring a near-unity breeder coefficient of infinite media of this composition (K/sub infinity/ = 1) has been measured at the Power-Physics Institute in Obninsk and at the Center for Nuclear Research in Caradache. The results obtained allow the accuracy of calculating the proportion of neutrons absorbed in constructional elements to be judged

This report is an assessment of technology related to hybrid reactors, especially the Fission-suppressed hybrid. A description of a typical fission-suppressed reactor is given. The economic advantages of the use of a hybrid reactor as part of a fuel cycle center are discussed at length. The inherent safety advantages of the hybrid reactor are analyzed. The report concludes with a proposed timetable for research and development. (JDH)

A conceptual study of DEMO-S steady state reactor is being carried out in RF. The main goals of the study are aimed at establishing physics and engineering basis and limitations of the reactor. It was assumed that DEMO is a next step after international thermonuclear experimental reactors (ITER) operation, and so conservative assumptions were used in the study based on ITER engineering. A steady state operation mode is recommended with fusion power of 2-3 GW and maximum first wall (FW) neutron load of 3-4 MW m{sup -2}. The reactor has to operate in advance plasma mode with high fraction of bootstrap current. The reversed shear regime and operation in H-mode are evaluated. A lifetime of 30-40 MW m{sup -2} is assumed for the DEMO plant, with three to four changes of plasma facing components. The general reactor layout is determined. Two options of breeding blanket with ceramic and liquid lithium breeders are presented, supported by neutronic, thermalhydraulic and mechanical calculations. A conventional type of water or Li cooling divertor targets with maximum heat load of {approx}10 MW m{sup -2} was chosen. Heat to electricity conversion schemes are analysed for both helium and liquid metal coolant with net efficiency of 35-40%. Aspects of radioactive waste management are considered.

Full Text Available Broiler chicks from one incubator hatch within long periods of time, which leads to dehydration and reduction in yolk sac reserves of those chicks that have hatched earlier and potentially impairs early performance. The present research investigated the hatching distribution at intervals of incubation using eggs of different weights within one breeder age or eggs from widely different breeder ages. Eggs from breeders at 27 and 59 weeks of age (54 and 69 g and from breeders at 40 weeks of age, which were graded as light (58 g and heavy (73 g, were placed in a commercial incubator. There were a total of 1,184 eggs distributed in four treatments and eight replicates: eggs from 27-week-old breeders (27B, eggs from 59-week-old breeders (59B, light eggs from 40-week-old breeders (40BL and heavy eggs from 40-week-old breeders (40BH. Replicates were comprised of 37 eggs that were placed in each incubator tray. The treatments were physically separated from each other using a plate. Eggs were transferred to a hatcher after 432 hours of incubation and the first chick hatched at 449 hours of incubation. Afterwards, the number of completely hatched chicks from each replicate was recorded at six-hour intervals until 503 hours of incubation, when the hatchings stopped. Hatched chicks were removed from the trays after each measurement. Data were submitted to an analysis of variance with repeated measures. There was a significant interaction between breeder age and incubation length. The hatching onset of eggs from the old breeders was later compared to young breeders. Hatchability (%incubated eggs was lower for the old breeders; however, differences in hatchability as a percentage of the hatched eggs were not so evident. Complete hatchability occurred only at 503 hours of incubation; however, more than 90% eggs had hatched 18 hours earlier.

Operating life of pressure tubes of Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) is limited due to the presence of various issues associated with the material like hydrogen pick up, delayed hydride cracking, axial elongation and increase in diameter due to irradiation creep and growth. Periodic monitoring of the health of the pressure tube under in-situ conditions is essential to ensure the safe operation of the reactor. New designs of reactor call for innovative design philosophy, modification in fabrication route of pressure tube, development of reactor specific tools, both analytical and hardware for assessing the fitness for service of the pressure tube. Feedback from existing reactors has enhanced the understanding about life limiting parameters. This paper gives an insight into the life limiting issues associated with pressure tube and the efforts pursued for development of life management techniques for coolant channel of Advanced Heavy Water Reactor (AHWR) designed in India. The tools and techniques for in-situ property/hydrogen measurement, pulsed eddy current technique for zirconium alloy in-homogeneity characterization, horizontal shear wave EMAT system for dissimilar metal weld inspection, sliver sampling of vertical channel etc. are elaborated in the paper. (author)

Full Text Available A unique case of metaplastic breast carcinoma with an epithelial component showing tumoral necrosis and neuroectodermal stromal component is described. The tumor grew rapidly and measured 9 cm at the time of diagnosis. No lymph node metastases were present. The disease progressed rapidly and the patient died two years after the diagnosis from a hemorrhage caused by brain metastases. The morphology and phenotype of the tumor are described in detail and the differential diagnostic options are discussed.

Research is being conducted for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to assess the effectiveness and reliability of advanced nondestructive examination (NDE) methods for the inspection of light-water reactorcomponents. The scope of this research encom¬passes primary system pressure boundary materials including dissimilar metal welds (DMWs), cast austenitic stainless steels (CASS), piping with corrosion-resistant cladding, weld overlays, inlays and onlays, and far-side examinations of austenitic piping welds. A primary objective of this work is to evaluate various NDE methods to assess their ability to detect, localize, and size cracks in steel components that challenge standard and/or conventional inspection methodologies. This interim technical letter report provides a summary of a technical evaluation aimed at assessing the capabilities of phased-array (PA) ultrasonic testing (UT) methods as applied to the inspection of small-bore DMW components that exist in the reactor coolant systems (RCS) of pressurized water reactors (PWRs). Operating experience and events such as the circumferential cracking in the reactor vessel nozzle-to-RCS hot leg pipe at V.C. Summer nuclear power station, identified in 2000, show that in PWRs where primary coolant water (or steam) are present under normal operation, Alloy 82/182 materials are susceptible to pressurized water stress corrosion cracking. The extent and number of occurrences of DMW cracking in nuclear power plants (domestically and internationally) indicate the necessity for reliable and effective inspection techniques. The work described herein was performed to provide insights for evaluating the utility of advanced NDE approaches for the inspection of DMW components such as a pressurizer surge nozzle DMW, a shutdown cooling pipe DMW, and a ferritic (low-alloy carbon steel)-to-CASS pipe DMW configuration.

The alloys 316L(N) and Mod. 9Cr-1Mo steel are the major structural materials for fabrication of structural components in sodium cooled fast reactors (SFRs). Various factors influencing the mechanical behaviour of these alloys and different modes of deformation and failure in SFR systems, their analysis and the simulated tests performed on components for assessment of structural integrity and the applicability of RCC-MR code for the design and validation of components are highlighted. The procedures followed for optimal design of die and punch for the near net shape forming of petals of main vessel of 500 MWe prototype fast breederreactor (PFBR); the safe temperature and strain rate domains established using dynamic materials model for forming of 316L(N) and 9Cr-1Mo steels components by various industrial processes are illustrated. Weldability problems associated with 316L(N) and Mo. 9Cr-1Mo are briefly discussed. The utilization of artificial neural network models for prediction of creep rupture life and delta-ferrite in austenitic stainless steel welds is described. The usage of non-destructive examination techniques in characterization of deformation, fracture and various microstructural features in SFR materials is briefly discussed. Most of the experience gained on SFR systems could be utilized in developing science and technology for fusion reactors. Summary of the current status of knowledge on various aspects of fission and fusion systems with emphasis on cross fertilization of research is presented.

The aim of this work was to characterize stress coping styles of Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis) juveniles and breeders and to select an operational behavioural screening test (OBST) that can be used by the aquaculture industry to classify and select between behavioural phenotypes in order to improve production indicators. A total of 61 juveniles and 59 breeders were subjected to five individual behavioural tests and two grouping tests. At the end of the individual tests, all animals were blood sampled in order to measure cortisol, glucose and lactate. Three tests (restraining, new environment and confinement) characterized the stress coping style behaviour of Senegalese sole juveniles and breeders and demonstrated inter-individual consistency. Further, the tests when incorporated into a principal components analysis (PCA) (i) identified two principal axes of personality traits: 'fearfulness-reactivity' and 'activity-exploration', (ii) were representative of the physiological axis of stress coping style, and (iii) were validated by established group tests. This study proposed for the first time three individual coping style tests that reliably represented proactive and reactive personalities of Senegalese sole juveniles and breeders. In addition, the three proposed tests met some basic operational criteria (rapid testing, no special equipment and easy to apply and interpret) that could prove attractive for fish farmers to identify fish with a specific behaviour that gives advantages in the culture system and that could be used to establish selection-based breeding programmes to improve domestication and production.

Nuclear reactors in the United States account for roughly 20% of the nation's total electric energy generation, and maintaining their safety in regards to key component structural integrity is critical not only for long term use of such plants but also for the safety of personnel and the public living around the plant. Early detection of damage signature such as of stress corrosion cracking, thermal-mechanical loading related material degradation in safety-critical components is a necessary requirement for long-term and safe operation of nuclear power plant systems.

One of the ageing phenomena of pressure boundary components of light water reactors (LWR) is environmentally-assisted cracking (EAC). The project CASTOC (5. Framework Programme of the EU) was launched September 2000 with six European partners and terminated August 2003. It was focused in particular on the EAC behaviour of low-alloy steels (LAS) and to some extent to weld metal, heat affected zone and the influence of an austenitic cladding. The main objective was directed to the clarification of EAC crack growth behaviour/mechanism of LAS in high-temperature water under steady-state power operation (constant load) and transient operating conditions (e.g., start-up/shut-down, transients in water chemistry and load). Autoclave tests were performed with Western and Russian type reactor pressure vessel steels under simulated boiling water reactor (BWR)/normal water chemistry (NWC) and pressurised water reactor (VVER) conditions. The investigations were performed with fracture mechanics specimens of different sizes and geometries. The applied loading comprised cyclic loads, static loads and load spectra where the static load was periodically interrupted by partial unloading. With regard to water chemistry, the oxygen content (VVER) and impurities of sulphate and chlorides (BWR) were varied beyond allowable limits for continuous operation. The current paper summarises the most important crack growth results obtained under simulated BWR/NWC conditions. The results are discussed in the context of the current crack growth rate curves in the corresponding nuclear codes. (authors)

Design analysis needs and procedures relative to elevated temperature components in liquid metal fast breederreactor (LMFBR) system were examined. The effects of the thermal transients on the pressure boundary components are enhanced by the excellent heat transfer properties of the liquid sodium coolant. Design criteria for high temperature nuclear reactorcomponents recognize the potential occurrence of inelastic structural response. Specifically, criteria and limits were developed which reflect a recognition of this potential and employ design by analysis concepts that requires that inelastic (elastic-plastic and creep) analyses be performed. Constitutive equations to represent multiaxial time-dependent responses of LMFBR alloys are established. The development of equations applicable under cyclic loading conditions are outlined.

Transient thermal stress of each system Component in the fast breederreactor is an uncertain factor on it's structural design. The temperature distribution in a system component changes over a wide range in time and in space. An unified evaluation technique of thermal, hydraulic, and structural analysis, in which includes thermal striping, temperature stratification, transient thermal stress and the integrity of the system components, is required for the optimum design of tho fast reactor plant. Thermal boundary conditions should be set up by both the transient thermal stress analysis and the structural integrity evaluation of each system component. The reasonable thermal boundary conditions for the design of the MONJU and a demonstration fast reactor, are investigated. The temperature distribution analysis models and the thermal boundary conditions on the Y-piece structural parts of each system component, such as reactor vessel, intermediate heat exchanger, primary main circulation pump, steam generator, superheater and upper structure of reactor core, are illustrated in the report. (M. Suetake)

A method is described for producing tritium gas in a fast breederreactor cooled with liquid metal. Lithium target material is placed in pins equipped with vents, and tritium gas is recovered from the coolant.

Full Text Available The study followed the results of 0.85% CO2 influence on chick embryonic development. Biological material wascomposed of chicken eggs obtained from COBB500 hybrid broiler breeder parents. After weight determination ofchick embryos in different stages of development, egg components and embryos annexes, pH measurements ofalbumen and yolk sac were made. All of this analysis was made in order to determine the positive influence of 0.85%CO2 level on multistage chick incubation.

As a part of safety study of fast reactors, the component reliability database and statistical analysis system (CORDS) was developed. The CORDS contains operating records and failure histories of components primarily used in sodium system of fast reactors and sodium test facilities in the U.S. and Japan. As a result, development of the CORDS made it possible: (1) efficiently to retrieve the operational records and failure histories using the interactive retrieval function, (2) systematically to quantify the failure rate considering difference of design specification, operating environment and age among components, and (3) to provide fundamental data based on the operating experience in examining repairability of failed components, common cause failures, or aging degradation and preventive maintenance. In addition, the component failure rate derived from the CORDS has been applied into probabilistic safety assessment of the Japanese prototype fast breederreactor, etc. This paper describes the guideline of data collection and categorization, table structure of the database, the retrieval function, and the statistical analysis function of the CORDS in detail. (author).

Most of the first generation of fast reactors that were operated at significant power levels employed solid metal fuels. They were constructed in the United States and United Kingdom in the 1950s and included Experimental BreederReactor (EBR)-I and -II operated by Argonne National Laboratory, United States, the Enrico Fermi Reactor operated by the Atomic Power Development Associates, United States and DFR operated by the U.K. Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA). Their paper tracer pre-development of fast reactor fuel from these early days through the 1980s including ceramic fuels.

The objective is to compare neutron irradiation conditions in Russian reactors and similar US facilities. Neutron fluence and spectral information and calculated radiation damage parameters are presented for the BOR-60 (Fast Experimental Reactor - 60 MW) and SM-2 reactors in Russia. Their neutron exposure characteristics are comparable with those of the Experimental BreederReactor (ERB-II), the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF), and the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) in the United States.

Full Text Available Malformations which occur during the development of the avian body organs can lead to structural and functional abnormalities. Most defects are recognized at hatching, but some go undetected until somewhat later. The cause of the majority of animal congenital malformations is unknown. A significant proportion of congenital malformations of unknown cause are likely to have an important genetic component. Malformations of the gastrointestinal and urogenital systems have been observed. This report describes a rare case of duplicate vents in a broiler breeder 33 week-old hen. A normal calcified egg was present in the left oviduct and right oviduct was atrophied. Both cloaca were anatomically normal, and each of them had a complete structure of coprodeum, urodeum and proctodeum. Double vents’ anomalies in breeder hens were only reported by Crew and Roberts in 1928 - 1929 and have not been reported after this time yet.

The objective of our reactor design is to supply a lunar-based research facility with 20 MW(e). The fundamental layout of this lunar-based system includes the reactor, power conversion devices, and a radiator. The additional aim of this reactor is a longevity of 12 to 15 years. The reactor is a liquid metal fast breeder that has a breeding ratio very close to 1.0. The geometry of the core is cylindrical. The metallic fuel rods are of beryllium oxide enriched with varying degrees of uranium, with a beryllium core reflector. The liquid metal coolant chosen was natural lithium. After the liquid metal coolant leaves the reactor, it goes directly into the power conversion devices. The power conversion devices are Stirling engines. The heated coolant acts as a hot reservoir to the device. It then enters the radiator to be cooled and reenters the Stirling engine acting as a cold reservoir. The engines' operating fluid is helium, a highly conductive gas. These Stirling engines are hermetically sealed. Although natural lithium produces a lower breeding ratio, it does have a larger temperature range than sodium. It is also corrosive to steel. This is why the container material must be carefully chosen. One option is to use an expensive alloy of cerbium and zirconium. The radiator must be made of a highly conductive material whose melting point temperature is not exceeded in the reactor and whose structural strength can withstand meteor showers.

This pamphlet describes how reactors work; discusses reactor design; describes research, teaching, and materials testing reactors; production reactors; reactors for electric power generation; reactors for supply heat; reactors for propulsion; reactors for space; reactor safety; and reactors of tomorrow. The appendix discusses characteristics of U.S. civilian power reactor concepts and lists some of the U.S. reactor power projects, with location, type, capacity, owner, and startup date.

Fast BreederReactors (FBRs) are vital towards meeting security and sustainability of energy for the growing economy of India. The development of FBRs necessitates extensive research and development in domains of materials and manufacturing technologies in association with a wide spectrum of disciplines and their inter-twining to meet the challenging technology. The paper highlight the work and the approaches adopted for the successful deployment of materials, manufacturing and inspection technologies for the in-core and structural components of current and future Indian Fast BreederReactor Programme. Indigenous development of in-core materials viz. Titanium modified austenitic stainless steel (Alloy D9) and its variants, ferritic/martensitic oxide-dispersion strengthened (ODS) steels as well as structural materials viz. 316L(N) stainless steel and modified 9Cr-1Mo have been achieved through synergistic interactions between Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), education and research institutes and industries. Robust manufacturing technology has been established for forming and joining of various components of 500 MWe Prototype Fast BreederReactor (PFBR) through 'science-based technology' approach. To achieve the strict quality standards of formed parts in terms of geometrical tolerances, residual stresses and microstructural defects, FEM-based modelling and experimental validation was carried out for estimation of spring-back during forming of multiple curvature thick plantes. Optimization of grain boundary character distribution in Alloy D9 was carried out by adopting the grain boundary engineering approach to reduce radiation induced segregation. Extensive welding is involved in the fabrication of reactor vessels, piping, steam generators, fuel sub-assemblies etc. Activated Tungsten Inert Gas Welding process along with activated flux developed at IGCAR has been successfully used in fabrication of dummy fuel subassemblies (DFSA) required

China experimental fast reactor engineering ( CEFR) is the national key experimental nuclear reactor project; my company undertakes the processing and manufacturing of the experimental fast reactor fuel assembly.In this paper, processing technology of grid components are discussed in detail, especially the block assembly welding and the grating assembly welding which are the key working procedures in the process of grid components manufacturing are discussed, and the working princi-ple, structure of welding fixture, grid components assembling and welding process in detail, welding process parameters are introduced.Because the grid components are thin-walled structure, and the welding deformation is difficult to control, it needs a hand retouching to ensure the dimension accuracy requirement.In this paper, the operational approach and control re-quirements of the fitter finishing are introduced, as well as the methods of how to check whether the workpiece meet the design requirements.The successful completion of the grid parts processing would provide reference for the future similar parts manu-facturing and further process improvement.%详细讨论了栅板部件的加工工艺，对栅板部件制造过程中的关键工序－塞块的组装焊接和栅板的组装焊接进行了论述，介绍了焊接工装的工作原理、结构，栅板部件组装和焊接的详细操作过程，焊接工艺参数等。由于栅板部件属于薄壁结构件，焊接变形难以控制，为了保证尺寸精度要求，需要钳工进行手工修整，介绍了钳工修整的操作方法、控制要求，以及如何检查修整后的工件是否满足设计要求。栅板部件加工的顺利完成，为今后类似零件的制造和进一步的工艺改进提供了借鉴。

Highlights: • Heat removal capacity of the FW is evaluated under BWR, PWR and He coolant inlet conditions. • Heat transfer property of the gas–liquid two phase and the two boiling crises are analyzed. • Heat removal capacity of water is larger than helium coolant. - Abstract: The water cooled ceramic breeder blanket (WCCB) is being researched for Chinese Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR). As an important component of the blanket, the FW should satisfy with the thermal requirements in any case. In this paper, three parameters including the heat removal capacity, coolant pressure drop as well as the temperature rise of the FW were investigated under different coolant velocity and heat flux from the plasma. Using the same first wall structure, two main water cooled schemes including Boiling Water Reactor (BWR, 7 MPa pressure and 265 °C temperature inlet) and Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR, 15 MPa pressure and 285 °C temperature inlet) conditions are discussed in the thermal hydraulic calculation. For further research, the thermal hydraulic characteristics of using helium as coolant (8 MPa pressure, 300 °C temperature inlet) are also explored to provide CFETR blanket design with more useful data supports. Without regard to the outlet coolant condition requirements of the blanket, the results indicate that the ultimate heat flux that the FW can resist is 2.2 MW/m{sup 2} at velocity of 5 m/s for BWR, 2.0 MW/m{sup 2} at velocity of 5 m/s for PWR and 0.87 MW/m{sup 2} for helium at velocity 100 m/s under the chosen operation condition. The detrimental departure from nucleate boiling (DNB) crisis would occur at the velocity of 1 m/s under the heat flux of 3 MW/m{sup 2} and dry out crisis appears at the velocity of less than 0.2 m/s with the heat flux of more than 1 MW/m{sup 2} for BWR. The further blanket/FW optimization design is provided with more useful data references according to the abundant calculation results.

The nearest term GCR is the steam-cycle HTGR, which can be used for both power and process steam production. Use of SC-HTGRs permits timely introduction of thorium fuel cycles and of high-thermal-efficiency reactors, decreasing the need for mined U/sub 3/O/sub 8/ before arrival of symbiotic fueling of fast-thermal reactor systems. The gas-turbine HTGR offers prospects of lower capital costs than other nuclear reactors, but it appears to require longer and more costly development than the SC-HTGR. Accelerated development of the GT-HTGR is needed to gain the advantages of timely introduction. The Gas-Cooled Fast BreederReactor (GCFR) offers the possibility of fast breederreactors with lower capital costs and with higher breeding ratios from oxide fuels. The VHTR provides high-temperature heat for hydrogen production.

Attaining tritium self-sufficiency is an important mission for the Chinese Fusion Engineering Testing Reactor (CFETR) operating on a Deuterium-Tritium (D-T) fuel cycle. It is necessary to study the tritium breeding ratio (TBR) and breeding tritium inventory variation with operation time so as to provide an accurate data for dynamic modeling and analysis of the tritium fuel cycle. A water cooled ceramic breeder (WCCB) blanket is one candidate of blanket concepts for the CFETR. Based on the detailed 3D neutronics model of CFETR with the WCCB blanket, the time-dependent TBR and tritium surplus were evaluated by a coupling calculation of the Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport Code (MCNP) and the fusion activation code FISPACT-2007. The results indicated that the TBR and tritium surplus of the WCCB blanket were a function of operation time and fusion power due to the Li consumption in breeder and material activation. In addition, by comparison with the results calculated by using the 3D neutronics model and employing the transfer factor constant from 1D to 3D, it is noted that 1D analysis leads to an over-estimation for the time-dependent tritium breeding capability when fusion power is larger than 1000 MW. supported by the National Magnetic Confinement Fusion Science Program of China (Nos. 2013GB108004, 2015GB108002, and 2014GB119000), and by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 11175207)

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of vaccination of breeder chickens on Salmonella prevalences and loads in breeder and broiler chicken flocks. Chickens housed on six commercial breeder farms were vaccinated with a killed Salmonella vaccine containing Salmonella Typhimurium, Salmonella Enteritidis, and Salmonella Kentucky. Unvaccinated breeders placed on six additional farms served as controls. Eggs from vaccinated and unvaccinated breeder flocks were kept separately in the hatchery, and the resulting chicks were used to populate 58 commercial broiler flock houses by using a pair-matched design. Vaccinated breeder flocks had significantly higher Salmonella-specific antibody titers than did the unvaccinated breeder flocks, although they did not differ significantly with respect to environmental Salmonella prevalences or loads. Broiler flocks that were the progeny of vaccinated breeders had significantly lower Salmonella prevalences and loads than broiler flocks that were the progeny of unvaccinated breeders. After adjusting for sample type and clustering at the farm level, the odds of detecting Salmonella in samples collected from broiler flocks originating from vaccinated breeders were 62% lower (odds ratio [95% confidence interval] = 0.38 [0.21, 0.68]) than in flocks from unvaccinated breeders. In addition, the mean load of culture-positive samples was lower in broilers from vaccinated breeders by 0.30 log most probable number per sample (95% confidence interval of -0.51, -0.09; P = 0.004), corresponding to a 50% decrease in Salmonella loads. In summary, vaccination of broiler breeder pullets increased humoral immunity in the breeders and reduced Salmonella prevalences and loads in their broiler progeny, but did not significantly decrease Salmonella in the breeder farm environment.

Through the ITER blanket first wall (BFW) development project in Korea, the joining methods were developed with a beryllium (Be) layer as a plasma-facing material, a copper alloy (CuCrZr) layer as a heat sink, and type 316L austenitic stainless steel (SS316L) as a structural material. And joining methods were developed such as Be as an armor and FMS as a structural material, or W as an armor and FMS as a structural material were developed through the test blanket module (TBM) program. As a candidate of PFC for DEMO, W/FMS joining methods have been developed and a new Ti interlayer was applied differently from the previous work. In the present study, the W/FMS PFC development was introduced with the following procedure to apply to the PFCs for a fusion reactor: (1) Three W/FMS mockups were fabricated using the developed HIP followed by a post-HIP heat treatment (PHHT). (2) Because the High Heat Flux (HHF) test should be performed over the thermal lifetime of the mockup under the proper test conditions to confirm the joint's integrity, the test conditions were determined through a preliminary analysis. In this study, commercial ANSYS-CFX for thermalhydraulic analysis and ANSYS-mechanical for the thermo-mechanical analysis are used to evaluate the thermal-lifetime of the mockup to determine the test conditions. Also, the Korea Heat Load Test facility with an Electron Beam (KoHLT-EB) will be used and its water cooling system is considered to perform the thermal-hydraulic analysis especially for considering the two-phase analysis with a higher heat flux conditions. From the analysis, the heating and the cooling conditions were determined for 0.5- and 1.0-MW/m{sup 2} heat fluxes, respectively. Elastic-plastic analysis is performed to determine the lifetime and finally, the 1.0 MW/m{sup 2} heat flux conditions are determined up to 4,306 cycles. The test will be done in the near future and the measured temperatures will be compared with the present simulation results.

Highlights: • Simulations show good correlation versus experimental results for Fe-Ti/W system. • The joint is predicted to be stable at the service conditions of the component. • The predictions could help to analyze different scenarios during its service life. - Abstract: The interaction of the Fe-Ti/W system in a brazed divertor component of the future fusion power plant has been studied. The reactivity between the substrates and the filler is an important factor to obtain a high quality joint. Thermodynamic and diffusion simulation software can be valuable tools for studying these effects, particularly in scenarios that are difficult to experimentally analyze. Two different strategies have been performed: 1) simulation processes using the Thermo-Calc and DICTRA software to calculate the phase diagram and simulate the diffusion process, respectively, and 2) experimental tests in a furnace to join W-W substrates using a filler with an 86Fe-Ti composition to analyze the operational brazeability and compare it with the simulation results. The simulation processes predicted two of the three phases that formed at the experimental joint (α-Fe and TiC). The interaction at the W-filler interface predicted by DICTRA correlates with the experimental results, where Fe, Ti and C diffused into the W substrate and moved the interface by 25 μm. Simulations also show the stability of the interface over the lifetime of the component. The combined use of Thermo-Calc and DICTRA software enabled the accurate prediction of different scenarios in the system of Fe-Ti-C/W.

This report reviewed a state of the art on development of C/C composite for the core components for VHTR and described the followings items. The fabrication methods of C/C composites. Summary on the JAERI report (JAERI-Res 2002-026) on the process screening test for the selection of a proper C/C composite material. Review of the proceedings presented at the GEN-IV VHTR material PMB meeting. A status of the domestic commercial C/C composite. The published property data and the characteristics of the commercial C/C composite.

Cyclic lives obtained from strain controlled fatigue tests at 593/sup 0/C from specimens irradiated to a fluence of 1 to 2.63 x 10/sup 26/ n/m/sup 2/ (E greater than 0.1 MeV) were compared to predictions based on the method of strainrange partitioning. When appropriate tensile and creep-rupture ductilities were employed reasonably good estimates of the influence of hold periods and irradiation damage on the fully reversed fatigue life of type 316 stainless steel could be made. Ductility values for 20 percent cold-worked type 316 stainless steel specimens irradiated in a mixed spectrum fission reactor were used to estimate fusion reactor first wall lifetime. The ductility values were from irradiations that simulate the environment of the first wall of a fusion reactor. Neutron wall loadings ranging from 2 to 5 MW/m/sup 2/ were used. Results, although conjectural because of the many assumptions, tended to show that 20 percent cold-worked type 316 stainless steel could be used as a first wall material meeting a 7.5 to 8.5 MW-year/m/sup 2/ lifetime goal provided the neutron wall loading does not exceed more than about 2 MW/m/sup 2/. Results were obtained for an air environment, and it is expected that the actual vacuum environment will extend lifetime beyond 10 MW-year/m/sup 2/.

advanced fuel cycle; (2) To qualify the transuranics-containing fuels and advanced structural materials needed for a full-scale ABR; and (3) To support the research, development and demonstration required for certification of an ABR standard design by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The ABTR should also address the following additional objectives: (1) To incorporate and demonstrate innovative design concepts and features that may lead to significant improvements in cost, safety, efficiency, reliability, or other favorable characteristics that could promote public acceptance and future private sector investment in ABRs; (2) To demonstrate improved technologies for safeguards and security; and (3) To support development of the U.S. infrastructure for design, fabrication and construction, testing and deployment of systems, structures and components for the ABRs. Based on these objectives, a pre-conceptual design of a 250 MWt ABTR has been developed; it is documented in this report. In addition to meeting the primary and additional objectives listed above, the lessons learned from fast reactor programs in the U.S. and worldwide and the operating experience of more than a dozen fast reactors around the world, in particular the Experimental BreederReactor-II have been incorporated into the design of the ABTR to the extent possible.

A new approach for fabricating B4C/Cu graded composite by rapid self-resistance sintering under ultra-high pressure was presented, by which a near dense B4C/Cu graded composite with a compositional spectrum of 0-100% was successfully fabricated. Plasma relevant performances ofsintered B4C/Cu composite were preliminarily characterized, it is found that its chemical sputtering yield is 70% lower than that of SMF800 nuclear graphite under 2.7 keV D+ irradiation, and almost no damages after 66 shots of in situ plasma discharge in HL-1 Tokamak facility, which indicates B4C/Cu plasma facing component has a good physical and chemical sputtering resistance performance compared with nuclear graphite.

Full Text Available The aim of this work is to present the preliminary results of a study about the prevalence of Campylobacter jejuni in poultry breeder flocks. It was examined three different breeder flocks of Bojano in Molise region. A total of 360 cloacal swabs and 80 enviromental swabs was collected. Of the 3 flocks studied, 6.9% tested were positive for Campylobacter spp. The most-prevalent isolated species is C. jejuni (8.2%. Only 3 of the 360 cloacal swabs samples examined were associated with C. coli. The environmental swabs resulted negative. This results confirms again that poultry is a reservoir of this germ.

The capital and income breeding framework has only recently been used to explain variation in female reproductive strategies in primates. The application of this framework to primates and other mammals with long reproductive cycles has not been consistent. We evaluated data on Verreaux's sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi verreauxi) in the Kirindy Forest of western Madagascar to determine whether they are capital or income breeders. We found that Verreaux's sifaka can be classified as either capital or income breeders, depending on how these concepts are operationalized. These conflicting findings highlight why the capital/income framework is currently problematic and must be standardized if it is to be a useful framework for primatologists.

International thermonuclear experimental reactor (ITER) is anticipated as the only one step to DEMO fusion reactor. One of its main objectives is to demonstrate the availability and integration of technologies essential for a fusion reactor by testing of components for a future reactor including the test blanket modules (TBM) with different types of breeding materials. RF proposed to divide the TBM on two parts and to use two independent test blanket sub-modules (TBSM) which fixed on the frame in ITER horizontal experimental port for testing. CHC TBSM design description, its mechanical attachment on the frame, and principle schemes of helium cooling system and tritium cycle system are presented in this paper.

Objective of the project was the experimental assurance of investigations on the theoretical basis of multiaxial fatigue loading. The review of the applicability of existing hypotheses, as well as the extension of the corresponding data base was carried out by experimental studies in fatigue tests under complex multiaxial loading for a ferritic and austenitic material. To investigate the influence of complex multiaxial stress conditions on the fatigue behavior, in this project notched cylindrical specimens were examined under alternating tensile/pressure loading and alternating torsional loading. Through the notch in the notched section inhomogeneous, multiaxial stress states are generated. By uniaxial alternating tests on unnotched specimens and a further series of tests on unnotched specimens under alternating torsional loading an evaluation of the impact and influence of the notch of stress on fatigue behavior was possible. A series of experiments with superimposition of alternating torsional and alternating tensile/pressure loading permits verification of the effect of phase-shifted stress and rotating principal coordinate system. All experiments were performed at room temperature. As part of the research project, the experimental results with the ferritic and austenitic materials were evaluated in terms of material behavior (hardening or softening) under cyclic loading. These were to uniaxial alternating tensile/pressure tests, alternating torsional tests (unnotched cylindrical specimens), alternating tensile/pressure tests on notched cylindrical specimens, alternating torsional tests on notched cylindrical specimens, alternating tensiontorsion tests with complex proportional stresses on unnotched cylindrical specimens (superimposition of normal and shear stress components), as well as alternating tension-torsion tests with complex non-proportional strain on unnotched cylindrical specimens (superimposition of normal and shear stress components with 90 phase

Full Text Available The paper deals with the study of reactivity initiated transients to investigate major differences in the kinetics behavior of various reactor systems under different operating conditions. The article also states guidelines to determine the safety limits on reactivity insertion rates. Three systems, light water reactors (pressurized water reactors, heavy water reactors (pressurized heavy water reactors, and fast breederreactors are considered for the sake of analysis. The upper safe limits for reactivity insertion rate in these reactor systems are determined. The analyses of transients are performed by a point kinetics computer code, PKOK. A simple but accurate method for accounting total reactivity feedback in kinetics calculations is suggested and used. Parameters governing the kinetics behavior of the core are studied under different core states. A few guidelines are discussed to project the possible kinetics trends in the next generation reactors.

This work is a review of experiments carried out up to the present time on the corrosion and compatibility of ceramic oxides with liquid sodium at temperatures corresponding to those in fast breederreactors. The review also includes the results of a thermo-dynamic/liquid sodium reactions. The exercise has been conducted with a view to effecting experimental studies in the future. (Author)

Direct metal deposition (DMD) is an automated 3D deposition process arising from laser cladding technology with co-axial powder injection to refine or refurbish parts. Recently DMD has been extended to manufacture large-size near-net-shape components. When applied for manufacturing new parts (or their refinement), DMD can provide tailored thermal properties, high corrosion resistance, tailored tribology, multifunctional performance and cost savings due to smart material combinations. In repair (refurbishment) operations, DMD can be applied for parts with a wide variety of geometries and sizes. In contrast to the current tool repair techniques such as tungsten inert gas (TIG), metal inert gas (MIG) and plasma welding, laser cladding technology by DMD offers a well-controlled heat-treated zone due to the high energy density of the laser beam. In addition, this technology may be used for preventative maintenance and design changes/up-grading. One of the advantages of DMD is the possibility to build functionally graded coatings (from 1 mm thickness and higher) and 3D multi-material objects (for example, 100 mm-sized monolithic rectangular) in a single-step manufacturing cycle by using up to 4-channel powder feeder. Approved materials are: Fe (including stainless steel), Ni and Co alloys, (Cu,Ni 10%), WC compounds, TiC compounds. The developed coatings/parts are characterized by low porosity (<1%), fine microstructure, and their microhardness is close to the benchmark value of wrought alloys after thermal treatment (Co-based alloy Stellite, Inox 316L, stainless steel 17-4PH). The intended applications concern cooling elements with complex geometry, friction joints under high temperature and load, light-weight mechanical support structures, hermetic joints, tubes with complex geometry, and tailored inside and outside surface properties, etc.

This invention, which resulted from a contact with the United States Department of Energy, relates to a control mechanism for a nuclear reactor and, more particularly, to an assembly for selectively shifting different numbers of reactivity modifying rods into and out of the core of a nuclear reactor. It has been proposed heretofore to control the reactivity of a breederreactor by varying the depth of insertion of control rods (e.g., rods containing a fertile material such as ThO/sub 2/) in the core of the reactor, thereby varying the amount of neutron-thermalizing coolant and the amount of neutron-capturing material in the core. This invention relates to a mechanism which can advantageously be used in this type of reactor control system.

To ensure health and reproductive capacity of the birds, broiler breeders are fed restricted during the rearing period, and to a lesser extent also during the production period. Although restricted feeding improves health and thereby bird welfare, on the other hand the birds are chronically hungry a

This report summarizes the further findings from the assessments of current status and future needs in code qualification and licensing of reference structural materials and new advanced alloys for advanced recycling reactors (ARRs) in support of Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative (AFCI). The work is a combined effort between Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) with ANL as the technical lead, as part of Advanced Structural Materials Program for AFCI Reactor Campaign. The report is the second deliverable in FY08 (M505011401) under the work package 'Advanced Materials Code Qualification'. The overall objective of the Advanced Materials Code Qualification project is to evaluate key requirements for the ASME Code qualification and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approval of structural materials in support of the design and licensing of the ARR. Advanced materials are a critical element in the development of sodium reactor technologies. Enhanced materials performance not only improves safety margins and provides design flexibility, but also is essential for the economics of future advanced sodium reactors. Code qualification and licensing of advanced materials are prominent needs for developing and implementing advanced sodium reactor technologies. Nuclear structural component design in the U.S. must comply with the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code Section III (Rules for Construction of Nuclear Facility Components) and the NRC grants the operational license. As the ARR will operate at higher temperatures than the current light water reactors (LWRs), the design of elevated-temperature components must comply with ASME Subsection NH (Class 1 Components in Elevated Temperature Service). However, the NRC has not approved the use of Subsection NH for reactorcomponents, and this puts additional burdens on materials qualification of the ARR. In the past licensing review for the Clinch River BreederReactor Project (CRBRP

Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) has developed the latter one to be tested in the ITER. The liquid-type TBM is one of candidate TBM for KO Demos. In this concept, helium (He) and liquid lithium (Li) were used as a coolant and a breeder, respectively. A ferritic-martensitic steel (FMS) was considered as a structural material and the Advanced Reduced Activation Alloy (ARAA) is being developed as a HCCR TBM structural material. However, according to our strategy for developing the liquid breeder TBM and its more relevant DEMO concept, liquid breeders not only considered liquid lithium but also lead-lithium (PbLi). An Experimental Loop for Liquid breeder (ELLI) was constructed for the purpose of validating the electromagnetic (EM) pump design, which designed and fabricated by ourselves; testing the effects of magneto-hydro-dynamics (MHD); and investigating the compatibility of PbLi using structural materials such as ferritic martensitic steel. The performance test on each component such as heaters, the control systems for heating the loop were performed and the characteristic tests with a magnet and the EM pump were carried out. The first corrosion tests using ELLI were performed with grade 91 FMS steel during 250 hours in 2011. In this study, the corrosion tests with developed ARAA were carried out in the ELLI loop using EM pump to investigate the corrosion behavior of ARAA, and the test results will be compared the previous corrosion tests of FMS corrosion specimens. Long term operation tests with the EM pump were carried out. During the two separate experiments, an EM pump was operated for 250 h with a speed of 0.16 m/s (0.95 Kg/s) for corrosion tests. The corrosion test for the ARAA was performed to investigate the corrosion behavior of ARAA in flowing PbLi. After micro structural observation on the ARAA surface and elemental analysis were done using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), the corrosion results of the ARAA specimens will be compared

A liquid-type TBM, a Helium Cooled Molten Lithium (HCML) TBM, is one of candidate TBM for KO Demos. In this concept, helium (He) and liquid lithium (Li) were used as a coolant and a breeder, respectively. However, according to our strategy for developing the liquid breeder TBM and its more relevant DEMO concept, liquid breeders not only considered liquid lithium but also lead-lithium (PbLi). An Experimental Loop for Liquid breeder (ELLI) was constructed for the purpose of validating the electromagnetic (EM) pump design, which designed and fabricated by ourselves; testing the effects of magneto-hydro-dynamics (MHD); and investigating the compatibility of PbLi using structural materials such as ferritic martensitic steel. The picture of the experimental loop is shown in Fig. 1. The performance test on each component such as heaters, the control systems for heating the loop were performed and the characteristic tests with a magnet and the EM pump were carried out. A corrosion tests using ELLI were performed with grade 91 FMS steel and ARAA during 250 hours. The corrosion tests specimens using developed commercial-scale ARAA-1 will be carried out in the ELLI loop using EM pump to investigate the corrosion behavior of ARAA-1, and the test results will be compared the previous corrosion tests of FMS corrosion specimens. A commercial FMS with grade 91 and developed ARAA steel was used for corrosion test-specimens to compare the corrosion characteristics in the flowing Pbli loop. Long term operation performance of the ELLI loop was conformed during 250 h corrosion tests. During the two separate experiments, an EM pump was operated for 250 h with a speed of 0.16 m/s (0.95 Kg/s) for corrosion tests. Mass of samples was decreased about 0.006% for ARAA-sample and 0.009% for Gr.91-sample, which corresponded to 0.22 g/m2 and 0.34 g/m2 of a corrosion attack, respectively. Unfortunately, it was unavailable to compare these weight losses with previous reports because of the

Early in 1963, it was necessary to make a choice among the two fuels examined for Rapsodie: the UPuMo alloy with double cladding, Nb and stainless steel, and the UO{sub 2}-PuO{sub 2} mix oxide. This report presents the results of the studies effected with the two types of fuel. We reconsider at first the different models which have been studied and we give a detailed description of the alloy and oxide cores as they are envisaged early in 1963. We give then the most important physics performances of the two cores: neutron flux and spectrum, reactivity of the compensation find safety rods, neutrons balance, specific power, effective fraction of delayed neutrons, lifetime of the prompt neutrons, reactivity coefficient. We describe the hydraulic studies and experiments which have been done concerning the two cores. We discuss the criteria adopted as basis for the flow calculations. We give the results of pressure drop and sub-assembly lifting, force measurements, and vibration and pin flow distribution experiments. We discuss the constants utilized for the thermal calculations and we give the temperatures of sodium and alloy or oxide fuel, the temperature increases due to the hot points, and the limitation of the oxide fuel burn-up, originated by the pressure of the fission gases. We treat the hypotheses having been utilized for the dynamics calculations and we describe the different accidents which have been studied. We give the results of the calculations for every accident and each fuel, and we show fuel melting or sodium boiling can be avoided, even in case of the most pessimistic hypotheses, by modifying reactor characteristics (shim-rod reactivity or power of the reactor with only one cooling circuit). The reactor stability has been evaluated with the hypotheses utilized for the dynamics calculations, except of the Doppler coefficient which was intentionally increased. We show that the alloy and oxide cores are stable for every envisaged reactor power. (authors

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Flow induced vibration studies on Prototype Fast BreederReactor control plug model carried out. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Velocity similitude was followed for the study. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Frequencies and amplitude of vibrations of various control plug components measured. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Overall values of vibration are well within permissible limits. - Abstract: The construction of Prototype Fast BreederReactor (PFBR), a 500 MWe liquid sodium cooled reactor, is in progress at Kalpakkam in India. Control plug (CP) is located right above the core subassemblies in the hot pool. Control plug is an important component as many of the critical reactor parameters are sensed and controlled by the components housed in the control plug assembly. In PFBR primary circuit, components are basically thin walled, slender shells with diameter to thickness ratio ranging from 100 to 650. These components are prone to flow induced vibrations. The existence of free liquid (sodium) surfaces, which is the source of sloshing phenomenon and the operation of primary sodium pump in the primary pool are other potential sources of vibration of reactorcomponents. Control plug is a hollow cylindrical shell structure and provides passages and support for 12 absorber rod drive mechanisms (ARDM) which consists of 9 control and safety rods and 3 diverse safety rods, 210 thermo wells to measure the sodium temperature at the exit of various fuel subassemblies, three failed fuel localization modules (FFLM) and acoustic detectors. It consists of a core cover plate (CCP), which forms the bottom end, two intermediate supports plate, i.e. lower stay plate (LSP) and upper stay plate (USP) and an outer shell. The CCP is located at a distance of 1.3 m from the core top. With such a gap, there will be long free hanging length of the thermocouple sleeves, Delayed neutron detector (DND) sampling tubes and ARDM shroud tubes and hence they are

The Space Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (SNTP) program is evaluating the feasibility of a particle bed reactor for a high-performance nuclear thermal rocket engine. Reactors operating between 500 MW and 2,000 MW will produce engine thrusts ranging from 20,000 pounds to 80,000 pounds. The optimum reactor arrangement depends on the power level desired and the intended application. The key components of the reactor have been developed and are being tested. Flow-to-power matching considerations dominate the thermal-hydraulic design of the reactor. Optimal propellant management during decay heat cooling requires a three-pronged approach. Adequate computational methods exist to perform the neutronics analysis of the reactor core. These methods have been benchmarked to critical experiment data.

In the framework of the SPIRAL1 upgrade under progress at the GANIL lab, the charge breeder based on a LPSC Phoenix ECRIS, first tested at ISOLDE has been modified to benefit of the last enhancements of this device from the 1+/n+ community. The modifications mainly concern the 1 + optics, vacuum techniques, and the RF—buffer gas injection into the charge breeder. Prior to its installation in the midst of the low energy beam line of the SPIRAL1 facility, it has been decided to qualify its performances and several operation modes at the test bench of LPSC lab. This contribution shall present preliminary results of experiments conducted at LPSC concerning the 1 + to n+ conversion efficiencies for noble gases as well as for alkali elements and the corresponding transformation times.

Full Text Available The objective of this study was of evaluate the influence of different drinker types on the egg production, water intake, mortality, poultry litter relative humidity, egg weight, eggshell percentage, and egg specific gravity of broiler breeders. The experiment was carried out in a commercial farm with 37- to 44-wk-old broiler breeders. A randomized block experimental design, consisting of two treatments (bell or nipple drinkers with four replicates of 4.000 females each, was applied. Data were submitted to analysis of variance, and means were compared by the test of Student-Newman-Keuls at 5% significance level. Birds submitted to nipple drinkers presented lower water intake (p0.05 of drinker type on egg production or mortality. Poultry litter relative humidity was lower (p<0.05 under the nipple-drinker system. Birds drinking from bell drinkers produced heavier eggs (p<0.05 between weeks 39 and 40. Hens drinking from bell drinkers laid eggs with higher specific gravity and eggshell percentage. It was concluded that nipple drinkers can be used for broiler breeders during lay.

Limitations of the fission fuel resources will presumably mandate the replacement of thermal fission reactors by fast fission reactors that operate on a self-sufficient closed fuel cycle. This replacement might take place within the next one hundred years, so the direct competitors of fusion reactors will be fission reactors of the latter rather than the former type. Also, fast fission reactors, in contrast to thermal fission reactors, have the potential for transmuting long-lived actinides into short-lived fission products. The associated reduction of the long-term activation of radioactive waste due to actinides makes the comparison of radioactive waste from fast fission reactors to that from fusion reactors more rewarding than the comparison of radioactive waste from thermal fission reactors to that from fusion reactors. Radioactive waste from an experimental and a commercial fast fission reactor and an experimental and a commercial fusion reactor has been characterized. The fast fission reactors chosen for this study were the Experimental BreederReactor 2 and the Integral Fast Reactor. The fusion reactors chosen for this study were the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor and a Reduced Activation Ferrite Helium Tokamak. The comparison of radioactive waste parameters shows that radioactive waste from the experimental fast fission reactor may be less hazardous than that from the experimental fusion reactor. Inclusion of the actinides would reverse this conclusion only in the long-term. Radioactive waste from the commercial fusion reactor may always be less hazardous than that from the commercial fast fission reactor, irrespective of the inclusion or exclusion of the actinides. The fusion waste would even be far less hazardous, if advanced structural materials, like silicon carbide or vanadium alloy, were employed.

designs such as HCCI engines , where ignition relies on the chemistry of the fuel. An initial mixture of 59.4% n-decane/40.6% iso-octane was...Octane Oxidation for HCCI Engines . Fuel, Vol. 85, 2593-2604. Koert, D. N., N. P. Cernansky. (1992). A Flow Reactor for the Study of...Reactor and Single Cylinder Research Engine A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Drexel University by Matthew S. Kurman in partial

Neutron cross-section libraries in the AMPX master interface format have been created for three reactor types. Included are an 84-group library for use with light-water reactors, a 27-group library for use with heavy-water CANDU reactors and a 126-group library for use with liquid metal fast breederreactors. In general, ENDF/B data were used in the creation of these libraries, and the nuclides included in each library should be sufficient for most neutronic analyses of reactors of that type. Each library has been used successfully in fuel depletion calculations.

This report summarizes the progress of the Fast Mixed Spectrum Reactor (FMSR) since the publication of the Interim Report in January 1979. The FMSR program was initiated to determine the feasibility of a breederreactor concept which operated on a once-through-and-store fuel cycle and for which the only feed would be natural uranium. A first or startup core enriched to a maximum of about eleven percent in uranium-235 would be required. The concept has excellent antiproliferation advantages. In the once-through and store mode, the FMSR has a resource utilization which is a factor of four higher than a light water reactor.

Parameters of a subcritical cascade reactor driven by a proton accelerator and based on a primary lead-bismuth target, main reactor constructed analogously to the molten salt breeder (MSBR) reactor core and a booster-reactor analogous to the core of the BN-350 liquid metal cooled fast breederreactor (LMFBR). It is shown by means of Monte-Carlo modeling that the reactor under study provides safe operation modes (k_{eff}=0.94-0.98), is apable to transmute effectively radioactive nuclear waste and reduces by an order of magnitude the requirements on the accelerator beam current. Calculations show that the maximal neutron flux in the thermal zone is 10^{14} cm^{12}\\cdot s^_{-1}, in the fast booster zone is 5.12\\cdot10^{15} cm^{12}\\cdot s{-1} at k_{eff}=0.98 and proton beam current I=2.1 mA.

The Separation Processes Studies Laboratory (Commissariat a l'energie Atomique) has made a preliminary assessment of the reprocessing system associated with Molten Salt Fast Reactor (MSFR). The scheme studied in this paper is based on the principle of reductive extraction and metal transfer that constituted the core process designed for the Molten Salt BreederReactor (MSBR), although the flow diagram has been adapted to the current needs of the Molten Salt Fast Reactor (MSFR).

While horizontal transmission is a route clearly linked to the spread of Campylobacter at the farm level, few studies support the transmission of Campylobacter spp. from breeder flocks to their offspring. Thus, the present study was carried out to investigate the possibility of vertical transmission. Breeders were monitored from the time of housing day-old chicks, then throughout the laying period (0 to 60 wk) and throughout their progeny (broiler fattening, 1 to 42 d) until slaughter. All samples were analyzed according with official method ISO 10272:2006. Results revealed that on breeder farms, Campylobacter isolation started from wk 16 and reached its peak at wk 26, with 57.0% and 93.2% of positive birds, respectively. After this point, the rate of positive birds decreased slightly to 86.0% at 60 wk. However, in broiler production all day-old chicks were found negative for Campylobacter spp, and the bacteria was first isolated at d 14 of age (5.0%), with a significant increase in detection during the fattening period with 62% of Campylobacter positive animals at the end of the production cycle. Moreover, non-positive sample was determined from environmental sources. These results could be explained because Campylobacter may be in a low concentration or in a non-culturable form, as there were several studies that successfully detected Campylobacter DNA, but failed to culture. This form can survive in the environment and infect successive flocks; consequently, further studies are needed to develop more modern, practical, cost-effective and suitable techniques for routine diagnosis.

Full Text Available This study was designed to evaluate the effect of Ochratoxin A (OTA upon production and breeding parameters in White Leghorn (WL breeder hens. For this purpose, 84 WL breeder hens were divided into seven groups (A-G. The hens in these groups were maintained on feed contaminated with OTA @ 0.0 (control, 0.1, 0.5, 1.0, 3.0, 5.0 and 10.0 mg/Kg, respectively for 21 days. These hens were artificially inseminated with semen obtained from healthy roosters kept on OTA free feed. Egg production and their quality parameters were recorded. Fertile eggs obtained from each group were set for incubation on weekly basis. At the end of the experiment, hens in each group were killed to determined gross and microscopic lesions in different organs. OTA residue concentrations were determined in extracts of liver, kidneys and breast muscles by immunoaffinity column elution and HPLC-Fluorescent detection techniques. Feeing OTA contaminated diet resulted in a significant decrease in egg mass and egg quality parameters. Liver and kidneys showed characteristic lesions of ochratoxicosis. Residue concentration (ng/g of OTA in the hens fed 10 mg/kg OTA, was the highest in liver (26.336±1.16 followed by kidney (8.223±0.85 and were least in breast muscles (1.235±0.21. Embryonic mortalites were higher, while hatachabilites of the chicks were lower in the groups fed higher doses of OTA. Feeding OTA contaminated diets to breeder hen resulted in residues accumulation in their tissues along with significantly reduced production and breeding performance.

The water-cooled ceramic breeder blanket (WCCB) is one of the blanket candidates for China fusion engineering test reactor (CFETR). In order to improve power generation efficiency and tritium breeding ratio, WCCB with superheated steam is under development. The thermal-hydraulic design is the key to achieve the purpose of safe heat removal and efficient power generation under normal and partial loading operation conditions. In this paper, the coolant flow scheme was designed and one self-developed analytical program was developed, based on a theoretical heat transfer model and empirical correlations. Employing this program, the design and analysis of related thermal-hydraulic parameters were performed under different fusion power conditions. The results indicated that the superheated steam water-cooled blanket is feasible. supported by the National Special Project for Magnetic Confined Nuclear Fusion Energy of China (Nos. 2013GB108004, 2014GB122000 and 2014GB119000), and National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 11175207)

Broiler type hens maintained in individual cages were artificially inseminated with either 0.023, 0.035, or 0.047 ml. of pooled semen. Insemination intervals were nine, nine, and ten days on a repetitive basis. This schedule was adopted because it allowed an extension of the conventional insemination interval and yet remained compatible with a five-day industrial work-week. The results demonstrated that maintaining broiler breeder hens in cages and utilizing artificial insemination as a means of obtaining fertile eggs were feasible. The data also indicated that extending the insemination interval to 10 days is possible providing the number of spermatozoa inseminated is increased.

EUROFER97 specimens were exposed in vacuum to lithium silicate pebbles at 550 °C for up to 2880 h, to evaluate its corrosion susceptibility in a simulated breeder blanket environment. The specimens and pebble bed were then analyzed and characterized by SEM-EDX, XRD, and HR-TEM. The results revealed the formation of a double chromium/iron oxide corrosion layer. HR-TEM also showed that the inner layer was amorphous, while the outer was crystalline. The amorphous layer was brittle, broke easily, and became detached from the steel.

A tritium release model has been developed by the present authors. The tritium release curves estimated by this tritium model give good agreement with experimental curves for Li {sub 4}SiO{sub 4}, Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3}, Li{sub 2}ZrO{sub 3} or LiAlO{sub 2} under various purge gas conditions in our out-of-pile bred tritium release. The characteristics of tritium release behavior from various solid breeder materials carried out by us and in EXOTIC experiments at Petten are discussed in this study. (authors)

The main features of a tritium breeding blanket for a Demonstration Power Reactor involving the eutectic Pb-17Li as liquid breeder and water as coolant are presented. The configuration of the blanket segments and breeder modules as well as their arrangement inside the reactor vacuum vessel are outlined. The main design aspects and the corresponding design limits are reviewed, namely those related to thermomechanics, neutronics, magneto-hydrodynamics, tritium permeation and recovery. First results of safety analysis, in particular those connected with the rupture of a coolant tube in the breeder module are presented and discussed. As a conclusion, the feasibility of the concept look attractive. A problem which requires further investigation is that of the tritium self-sufficiency. It is shown that a net tritium production near to one can be obtained if berylium tiles are placed in front of the plasma, provided that they are cooled by heavy water. (orig.).

Highlights: • A helium cooled solid blanket was proposed as a candidate blanket concept for CFETR. • Material selection, basic structure and gas flow scheme of the blanket were introduced. • A series of performance analyses for the blanket were summarized. - Abstract: To bridge the gap between ITER and DEMO and to realize the fusion energy in China, a fusion device Chinese Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR) was proposed and is being designed mainly to demonstrate 50–200 MW fusion power, 30–50% duty time factor, tritium self-sustained. Because of the high demand of tritium production and the realistic engineering consideration, the design of tritium breeding blanket for CFETR is a challenging work and getting special attention. As a blanket candidate, a helium cooled solid breeder blanket has been designed with the emphasis on conservative design and realistic blanket technology. This paper introduces the basic blanket scheme, including the material selection, structural design, cooling scheme and purge gas flow path. In addition, some results of neutronics, thermal-hydraulic and stress analysis are presented.

The Reactor Physics and MYRRHA Department of SCK-CEN offers expertise in various areas of reactor physics, in particular in neutronics calculations, reactor dosimetry, reactor operation, reactor safety and control and non-destructive analysis of reactor fuel. This expertise is applied in the Department's own research projects in the VENUS critical facility, in the BR1 reactor and in the MYRRHA project (this project aims at designing a prototype Accelerator Driven System). Available expertise is also used in programmes external to the Department such as the reactor pressure steel vessel programme, the BR2 reactor dosimetry, and the preparation and interpretation of irradiation experiments by means of neutron and gamma calculations. The activities of the Fuzzy Logic and Intelligent Technologies in Nuclear Science programme cover several domains outside the department. Progress and achievements in these topical areas in 2000 are summarised.

A fluid driven jet-edge whistle timing system is described for control rods of a nuclear reactor for producing real-time detection of the timing of each control rod in its scram operation. An important parameter in reactor safety, particularly for liquid metal fast breederreactors (LMFBR), is the time deviation between the time the control rod is released and the time the rod actually reaches the down position. The whistle has a nearly pure tone signal with center frequency (above 100 kHz) far above the frequency band in which the energy of the background noise is concentrated. Each control rod can be fitted with a whistle with a different frequency so that there is no ambiguity in differentiating the signal from each control rod.

The Nonproliferation Alternative Systems Assessment Program (NASAP) has characterized and assessed various reactor/fuel-cycle systems. Volume IX provides, in summary form, the technical descriptions of the reactor/fuel-cycle systems studied. This includes the status of the system technology, as well as a discussion of the safety, environmental, and licensing needs from a technical perspective. This information was then used in developing the research, development, and demonstration (RD and D) program, including its cost and time frame, to advance the existing technology to the level needed for commercial use. Wherever possible, the cost data are given as ranges to reflect the uncertainties in the estimates. Volume IX is divided into three sections: Chapter 1, Reactor Systems; Chapter 2, Fuel-Cycle Systems; and the Appendixes. Chapter 1 contains the characterizations of the following 12 reactor types: light-water reactor; heavy-water reactor; water-cooled breederreactor; high-temperature gas-cooled reactor; gas-cooled fast reactor; liquid-metal fast breederreactor; spectral-shift-controlled reactor; accelerator-driven reactor; molten-salt reactor; gaseous-core reactor; tokamak fusion-fisson hybrid reactor; and fast mixed-spectrum reactor. Chapter 2 contains similar information developed for fuel-cycle facilities in the following categories: mining and milling; conversion and enrichment; fuel fabrication; spent fuel reprocessing; waste handling and disposal; and transportation of nuclear materials.

Reactor Safeguards provides information for all who are interested in the subject of reactor safeguards. Much of the material is descriptive although some sections are written for the engineer or physicist directly concerned with hazards analysis or site selection problems. The book opens with an introductory chapter on radiation hazards, the construction of nuclear reactors, safety issues, and the operation of nuclear reactors. This is followed by separate chapters that discuss radioactive materials, reactor kinetics, control and safety systems, containment, safety features for water reactor

Reactor Operation covers the theoretical aspects and design information of nuclear reactors. This book is composed of nine chapters that also consider their control, calibration, and experimentation.The opening chapters present the general problems of reactor operation and the principles of reactor control and operation. The succeeding chapters deal with the instrumentation, start-up, pre-commissioning, and physical experiments of nuclear reactors. The remaining chapters are devoted to the control rod calibrations and temperature coefficient measurements in the reactor. These chapters also exp

An Experimental Loop for Liquid breeder (ELLI) was constructed for the purpose of validating the electromagnetic (EM) pump design, which designed and fabricated by ourselves: testing the effects of magneto-hydro-dynamics (MHD): and investigating the compatibility of PbLi using structural materials such as ferritic martensitic steel. In the ELLI, Pb-15.7Li, where Li is 15.7 at % (called PbLi hereafter), is used as the breeding material and an EM pump circulates it in the loop with the maximum flow rate of 60 lpm. The operating pressure and temperature in the loop are 0.4 MPa and 300 .deg. C, respectively and the maximum operating pressure and temperature are 0.5 MPa and 550 .deg. C, respectively. After the performance test on each component such as heaters, the control systems for heating the loop and the characteristic tests with a magnet and the EM pump, long-term operational tests of the EM pump were performed during three different corrosion tests. The corrosion tests were performed in the ELLI loop by forced convection circulation using an EM pump to investigate the corrosion behavior of FMS in flowing PbLi. For the corrosion specimens, two samples were fabricated using Grade 91 FMS: tubular-type and cylindrical-type specimens. The specimens were exposed to the flowing PbLi with a speed of 0.16 m/s at 340 .deg. C for the three different experiments. The corrosion tests by forced convection using an EM pump can conveniently vary the speed of a liquid breeder by changing the currents of the EM pump than that of using a thermal convection

This report describes progress in a number of activities dealing with current safety issues relevant to both light water reactors (LWRs) and breederreactors. The work includes a broad range of experiments to simulate accidental conditions to provide the required data base to understand important accident sequences and to serve as a basis for development and verification of the complex computer simulation models and codes used in accident analysis and licensing reviews. Such a program must include the development of analytical models, verified by experiment, which can be used to predict reactor and safety system performance under a broad variety of abnormal conditions. Current major emphasis is focused on providing information to NRC relevant to (1) its deliberations and decisions dealing with severe LWR accidents and (2) its safety evaluation of the proposed Clinch River BreederReactor.

A significant amount of effort has been devoted to determining the properties and understanding the behavior of the alloy MA957 to define its potential usefulness as a cladding material in the fast breederreactor program. The numerous characterization and fabrication studies that were conducted are documented in this report.

Since the national Gas-Cooled Fast BreederReactor Program has been terminated, this document is the last progress report until reinstatement. It is divided into three sections: Core Flow Test Loop, GCFR shielding and physics, and GCFR pressure vessel and closure studies. (DLC)

We review the status and the results of reactor neutrino experiments. Short-baseline experiments have provided the measurement of the reactor neutrino spectrum, and their interest has been recently revived by the discovery of the reactor antineutrino anomaly, a discrepancy between the reactor neutrino flux state of the art prediction and the measurements at baselines shorter than one kilometer. Middle and long-baseline oscillation experiments at Daya Bay, Double Chooz, and RENO provided very ...

The Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation (PNC) has promoted the safety research in fiscal year of 1996 according to the Fundamental Research on Safety Research (fiscal year 1996 to 2000) prepared on March, 1996. Here is described on the research results in fiscal year 1996, the first year of the 5 years programme, and whole outline of the fundamental research on safety research, on the power reactor field (whole problems on the new nuclear converter and the fast breederreactor field and problems relating to the power reactor in the safety for earthquake and probability theoretical safety evaluation field). (G.K.)

This bibliography is divided into 15 broad areas, or categories, of interest. The same publication is listed in more than one category if its content applies to several areas of interest. Under each category, the publications are listed (1) by calendar year of publication and (2) then alphabetically by last name of the first author given. Publications that have no evident author (or compiler or editor) are listed alphabetically by title at the end of the listing for the calendar year in which they were published. Only open literature (that which can be obtained through libraries and other sources available to the public) are listed.

This report includes engineering memorandums, drawings, key feature descriptions, and other data. Some of the reports, such as manufacturability and some stress analysis, were done by consultants for Byron Jackson. Review of this report indicates that the design is feasible. The pump can be manufactured to system and specification requirements. The overall length and weight of some pieces will require special consideration, but is within the scope of equipment and technology available today. The fabricated parts are large and heavy, but can be manufactured and machined. Only the high temperature is unique to this size, since previous sodium pumps were smaller. Nondestructive tests as required by the Code are described and are feasible. The performance test of the prototype has been studied thoroughly. It is feasible for a cold water test. There are some problem areas. However, all of them can be solved. Development needs include building and testing a small scale model.

Nuclear power plants are expected to play an important role in the worldwide electricity production in the coming decades, since they provide an economically attractive, reliable and low-carbon source of electricity with plenty of resources available for at least the coming hundreds of years. Howeve

A GCFR helium circulator test facility sized for full design conditions is proposed for meeting the above requirements. The circulator will be mounted in a large vessel containing high pressure helium which will permit testing at the same power, speed, pressure, temperature and flow conditions intended in the demonstration plant. The electric drive motor for the circulator will obtain its power from an electric supply and distribution system in which electric power will be taken from a local utility. The conceptual design decribed in this report is the result of close interaction between the General Atomic Company (GA), designer of the GCFR, and The Ralph M. Parson Company, architect/engineer for the test facility. A realistic estimate of total project cost is presented, together with a schedule for design, procurement, construction, and inspection.

A pipe support consisting of a rigid link pivotally attached to a pipe and an anchor, adapted to generate stress or strain in the link and pipe due to pipe thermal movement, which stress or strain can oppose further pipe movement and generally provides pipe support. The pipe support can be used in multiple combinations with other pipe supports to form a support system. This support system is most useful in applications in which the pipe is normally operated at a constant elevated or depressed temperature such that desired stress or strain can be planned in advance of pipe and support installation. The support system is therefore especially useful in steam stations and in refrigeration equipment.

{sup 89}Sr, a pure beta emitter with half life of 50.53 d is used as its chloride solution for palliative care of bone metastases. This paper describes the feasibility studies that have been conducted at FBTR, IGCAR for production of this radionuclide using the {sup 89}Y(n, p){sup 89}Sr reaction. Yttria pellets were irradiated in a special subassembly at the core centre for a total of 73 d in two steps of 35 d and 38 d with a time gap of 38 d. The irradiated yttria target was dissolved in nitric acid and the bulk Y was separated by solvent extraction using the TBP-HNO{sub 3} complex. The {sup 89}Sr fraction was purified using the cation exchange resin DOWEX 50W x 8 (100-200 mesh size) from the other radioactive impurities seen. The eluted {sup 89}Sr fraction was assayed using a GM counting system. The {sup 89}Sr activity produced in 1 g of yttria pellet was found to be 19 mCi. (orig.)

In South Korea, 32 sequences of chicken infectious anemia virus (CIAV) from various flocks of breeder and commercial chickens were genetically characterized for the first time. Phylogenetic analysis of the viral protein 1 gene, including a hypervariable region of the CIAV genome, indicated that Korean CIAV strains were separated into groups II, IIIa, and IIIb. Strains were commonly identified in great-grandparent and grandparent breeder farms as well as commercial chicken farms. In the field, CIAV strains from breeder farms had no clinical effects, but commercial farm strains were associated with depression, growth retardation, and anemia regardless of the group from which the strain originated. In addition, we identified 7 CIAV genomes that were similar to vaccine strains from vaccinated and unvaccinated breeder flocks. These data suggest that further studies on pathogenicity and vaccine efficacy against the different CIAV group are needed, along with continuous CIAV surveillance and genetic analysis at breeder farms.

In this work we present our progress in the design study of a new Electron Beam Ion Source (EBIS) to be installed as a charge breeder for reacceleration of rare ions at ISOLDE. The work is triggered by the HIE-ISOLDE upgrade {[}1] and the planned TSR@ISOLDE project {[}2]. To fulfill the requests of the user community the new EBIS should reach an electron beam density of 10(4) A/cm(2) at electron energies up to 150 key and, provide UHV environment and ion cooling in the breeding region to ensure confinement of the ions long enough to reach the requested charge states. We report on the established design parameters and first prototyping steps towards production and testing of suitable equipment. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The cleaning process is one of the major maintenance operation for liquid metal fast reactors (LMFRs), both in operation and in their decommissioning stage. Russian and French cleaning processes are briefly described, including problems which have arisen during the processes. It appears that the cause of these problems is always connected to bad draining of the component, resulting in a vigorous reaction between vapour or liquid water and the bulk of sodium. From this discussion, the paper makes major recommendations for the efficient and safe cleaning of sodium wetted components, and proposes several processes which should be developed in order to deal with difficult situations, for example the removal of large amounts of undrainable sodium.

Full Text Available The question of how to feed the growing world population is very old, but because of the increase of population and possible climate change, currently it has an explosive impact. Plant breeding can be considered as the starting point for the whole human food chain. Therefore, high, stable and highly digestible yields of phytogenic biomass with low external inputs of non-renewable resources, such as water, fuel, arable land, fertilizers, etc.; low emissions of gases with greenhouse potential during cultivation; and high resistance against biotic and abiotic stressors, including adaptation to potential climate change, and a low concentration of undesirable substances in the plants are real challenges for plant breeders in the future. Virtually unlimited resources such as sunlight, nitrogen and carbon dioxide from the air as well as the genetic pool of microbes, plants and animals can be used to breed/develop optimal plants/crops. Biofortification of plants may also be an objective of plants breeders, but it is more important for human nutrition to avoid micronutrient deficiencies. A lower concentration of undesirable substances in the plants can be considered as more important than higher concentrations of micronutrients in plants/feeds. Animal nutritionists have various possibilities for feed additive supplementation to meet animal nutrient requirements. Examples to reduce undesirable substances in feed plants are discussed and shown in the paper. In summary, plant breeding has a large and strategic potential for global feed and food security. All breeding technologies may contribute to solving important global challenges, such as sustainable use of limited global resources, improved use of unlimited resources, adaption to climate change and lowering global greenhouse gas emission. More publically supported research seems to be necessary in this field. All methods of plant breeding that contribute to a more resource-efficient production of high

This paper describes the development of a three-dimensional methodology for the assessment of neutron damage and nuclear energy deposition (or nuclear heating) throughout the graphite cores of the UK's Advanced Gas-cooled Reactors. Advances in the development of the Monte Carlo radiation transport code MCBEND have enabled the efficient production of detailed fully three-dimensional models that utilise three-dimensional source distributions obtained from Core Follow data supplied by the reactor physics code PANTHER. The calculational approach can be simplified to reduce both the requisite number of intensive radiation transport calculations, as well as the quantity of data output. These simplifications have been qualified by comparison with explicit calculations and they have been shown not to introduce significant systematic uncertainties. Simple calculational approaches are described that allow users of the data to address the effects on neutron damage and nuclear energy deposition predictions of the feedback resulting from the mutual dependencies of graphite weight loss and nuclear energy deposition. (authors)

Though lithium ceramic materials such as Li{sub 2}O, LiAlO{sub 2}, Li{sub 2}ZrO{sub 3}, Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} and Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} are considered as breeding materials in the blanket of a D-T fusion reactor, the release behavior of the bred tritium in these solid breeder materials has not been fully understood. The isotope exchange reaction rate between hydrogen isotopes in the purge gas and tritium on the surface of breeding materials have not been quantified yet, although helium gas with hydrogen or deuterium is planned to be used as the blanket purge gas in the recent blanket designs. The mass transfer coefficient representing the isotope exchange reaction between H{sub 2} and D{sub 2}O or that between D{sub 2} and H{sub 2}O in the ceramic breeding materials bed is experimentally obtained in this study. Effects of isotope exchange reactions on the tritium inventory in the bleeding blanket is discussed based on data obtained in this study where effects of diffusion of tritium in the grain, absorption of water in the bulk of grain, and adsorption of water on the surface of grain, together with two types of isotope exchange reactions are considered. The way to estimate the tritium inventory in a Li{sub 2}ZrO{sub 3} blanket used in this study shows a good agreement with data obtained in such in-situ experiments as MOZART, EXOTIC-5, 6 and TRINE experiments. (author)

In ITER, the in-vessel remote handling is inevitably required to assemble and maintain the activated in-vessel components due to deuterium and tritium operation. Since the in-vessel remote handling system has to be operated under the intense of gamma ray irradiation, the components of the remote handling system are required to have radiation hardness so as to allow maintenance operation for a sufficient length of time under the ITER in-vessel environments. For this, the Japan, European and Russian Home Teams have extensively conducted gamma ray irradiation tests and quality improvements including optimization of material composition through ITER R and D program in order to develop radiation hard components which satisfy the doses from 10 MGy to 100 MGy at a dose rate of 1 x 10{sup 6} R/h (ITER R and D Task: T252). This report describes the latest status of radiation hard component development which has been conducted by the Japan Home Team in the ITER R and D program. The number of remote handling components tested is about seventy and these are categorized into robotics (Subtask 1), viewing system (Subtask 2) and common components (Subtask 3). The irradiation tests, including commercial base products for screening, modified products and newly developed products to improve the radiation hardness, were carried out using the gamma ray irradiation cells in Takasaki Establishment, JAERI. As a result, the development of the radiation hard components which can be tolerable for high temperature and gamma radiation has been well progressed, and many components, such as AC servo motor with ceramics insulated wire, optical periscope and CCD camera, have been newly developed. (author)

Two experiments were performed to evaluate the protective effect of various vaccination combinations given at 5 and 9 weeks of age against experimental challenge with Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis (SE) phage type 4 at 12 weeks of age. In Experiment 1, groups of commercial layers were vaccinated by one of the following programmes: Group 1, two doses of a SE bacterin (Layermune SE); Group 2, one dose of a live Salmonella enterica serovar Gallinarum vaccine (Cevac SG9R) followed by one dose of the SE bacterin; Group 3, one dose of each of two different multivalent inactivated vaccines containing SE cells (Corymune 4K and Corymune 7K; and Group 4, unvaccinated, challenged controls. In Experiment 2, groups of broiler breeders were vaccinated by the same programmes as Groups 1 and 2 above while Group 3 was an unvaccinated, challenged control group. All vaccination programmes and the challenge induced significant (P liver and caeca) colonization by the challenge strain as well as reducing faecal excretion for at least 3 weeks. Vaccinated layers in Groups 1 and 2 and broiler breeders in Group 2 showed the greatest reduction in organ colonization and the least faecal excretion. In Experiment 1, layers vaccinated with multivalent inactivated vaccines containing a SE component (Group 3) were only moderately protected, indicating that such a vaccination programme may be useful in farms with good husbandry and housing conditions and low environmental infectious pressure by Salmonella.

An overview of fuel-element modeling is presented that traces the development of codes for the prediction of light-water-reactor and fast-breeder-reactor fuel-element performance. It is concluded that although the mathematical analysis is now far advanced, the development and incorporation of mechanistic constitutive equations has not kept pace. The resultant reliance on empirical correlations severely limits the physical insight that can be gained from code extrapolations. Current efforts include modeling of alternate fuel systems, analysis of local fuel-cladding interactions, and development of a predictive capability for off-normal behavior. Future work should help remedy the current constitutive deficiencies and should include the development of deterministic failure criteria for use in design.

Highlights: • Conceptual design of in-vessel component including conducting shell has been investigated. • The conducting shell design for plasma vertical stability was clarified from the plasma vertical stability analysis. • The calculation results showed that the double-loop shell has the most effect on plasma vertical stability. - Abstract: In order to realize a feasible DEMO, we designed an in-vessel component including the conducting shell. The project is affiliated with the broader approach DEMO design activities and is conceptualized from a plasma vertical stability and engineering viewpoint. The dependence of the plasma vertical stability on the conducing shell parameters and the electromagnetic force at plasma disruption were investigated in numerical simulations (programmed in the 3D eddy current analysis code and a plasma position control code). The simulations assumed the actual shape and position of the vacuum vessel and in-vessel components. The plasma vertical stability was most effectively maintained by the double-loop shell.

A computer code has been written to calculate neutron induced activation of neutral-beam injector components and the corresponding dose rates as a function of geometry, component composition, and time after shutdown. The code, ACDOS1, was written in FORTRAN IV to calculate both activity and dose rates for up to 30 target nuclides and 50 neutron groups. Sufficient versatility has also been incorporated into the code to make it applicable to a variety of general activation problems due to neutrons of energy less than 20 MeV.

Multifunctional reactors are single pieces of equipment in which, besides the reaction, other functions are carried out simultaneously. The other functions can be a heat, mass or momentum transfer operation and even another reaction. Multifunctional reactors are not new, but they have received much

Magnox steel reactor pressure vessels differ significantly from US LWR vessels in terms of the type of steel used, as well as their operating environment (dose level, exposure temperature range, and neutron spectra). The large diameter ferritic steel vessels are constructed from C-Mn steel plates and forgings joined together with manual metal and submerged-arc welds which are stress-relieved. All Magnox vessels are now at least thirty years old and their continued operation is being vigorously pursued. Vessel surveillance and other programmes are summarized which support this objective. The current understanding of the roles of matrix irradiation damage, irradiation-enhanced copper impurity precipitation and intergranular embrittlement effects is described in so far as these influence the form of the embrittlement and hardening trend curves for each material. An update is given on the influence of high temperature exposure, and on the role of differing neutron spectra. Finally, the validation offered by the results of an initial vessel sampling exercise is summarized together with the objectives of a more extensive future sampling programme.

Two cases of orchitis and epididymo-orchitis in broiler breeders are described. The first case occurred in a 62-week-old rooster showing signs of breeding inactivity. Grossly, the left testis was abnormally shaped and had multiple yellow foci, prominent blood vessels, and a gelatinous mass on the surface. The right testis and other tissues appeared normal. A pure, heavy growth of Staphylococcus aureus was obtained on bacterial culture, and intralesional Gram-positive cocci were numerous on histopathology. The second case occurred in a 28-week-old rooster that was found dead. Both testes were abnormally shaped, swollen, firm, and had irregular, dark, depressed areas, prominent vessels, and multiple petechial haemorrhages. Epididymides were enlarged and nodular. Other lesions in this rooster included poor nutritional condition, distended cloaca, and urate scalding of the abdominal skin below the vent. Microscopically, there was extensive, severe heterophilic intratubular orchitis and epididymitis with intralesional Gram-negative bacteria. A heavy, pure growth of Escherichia coli was obtained from the testes and epididymides. In both cases, the findings suggested that the most probable route of infection was ascending via the ductus deferens.

Full Text Available The global ornamental fish trade is a rapidly growing industry. Cultivation and propagation of ornamental fishes have been increasing in the last 20 years in Iran. Discus (Symphysodon aequifasciatus from Cichlidae is one of the most popular and expensive aquarium fish. In the past few years farming of this fish has been well developed in Iran. Two breeder discus fish (Symphysodon aequifasciatus from two different propagation centres (with high mortality with signs of anorexia, loss of balance, moribundity and darkness in skin colour were referred to Laboratory of Aquatic Diseases of Veterinary Faculty, University of Tehran. After the survey of ectoparasites, necropsy was performed under aseptic conditions; bacterial culture on standard media was done and the alimentary canal was extruded. In both fish no ectoparasite was detected and no bacteria from these cases grew on the standard media. In internal survey 5 and 25 nematodes were detected in each fish. A high number of free eggs were observed in intestine of fish. Regarding morphological characteristics of the nematodes and their eggs, they were identified as Capillaria sp. Treatment of other fish with levamisole was effective and the loss was terminated. Some helminthes like Capillaria pterophylli Heinze, 1933, can cause a high mortality in cichlid aquarium fishes. This study showed that infection with some species of Capillaria could cause a heavy loss in ornamental fish from Cichlidae. Diagnosis of parasites of these fishes can help us to prevent high mortalities.

The activities of SCK-CEN's Reactor Materials Research Department for 2001 are summarised. The objectives of the department are: (1) to evaluate the integrity and behaviour of structural materials used in nuclear power industry; (2) to conduct research to unravel and understand the parameters that determine the material behaviour under or after irradiation; (3) to contribute to the interpretation, the modelling of the material behaviour and to develop and assess strategies for optimum life management of nuclear power plant components. The programmes within the department are focussed on studies concerning (1) Irradiation Assisted Stress Corrosion Cracking (IASCC); (2) nuclear fuel; and (3) Reactor Pressure Vessel Steel.

Full Text Available ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible effects of glutamine and broiler breeder age on the development of intestinal mucosa in broiler chicks during first week of age. For this purpose, 32 one-day-old broiler chicks were distributed according to a completely randomized experimental design in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement. Treatments consisted of two broiler breeder ages (30 and 60 weeks and two dietary glutamine supplementation levels (0% and 1%. The morphological development of intestinal mucosa, particularly villus height and crypt depth, was evaluated. The results showed that the supplementation with 1% of glutamine influenced the development of villus height in the duodenum (p=0.009, jejunum (p = 0.006, and ileum (p = 0.001, as well as crypt depth in the jejunum (p = 0.037 of 7-day-old broilers. These results suggest that the presence of glutamine influenced the development of intestinal mucosa during the first week of age, when these tissues are highly influenced by dietary components, especially by trophic agents. The results show that broiler breeder age (30 or 60 weeks did not influence the evaluated parameters.

The objectives of this study were to assess the prevalence of subclinical endometritis and the presence of common uterine pathogens in repeat breeder cows. A total of 121 cows with three or more consecutive artificial inseminations without conception and no clinical signs of disease were defined as repeat breeder cows and were enrolled in this trial. Intrauterine samples were collected with the cytobrush technique to determine the prevalence of subclinical endometritis and bacteriologic infections. Blood samples were analyzed for concentrations of progesterone and estradiol in plasma to assess ovarian activity. Furthermore, breed, parity, history of calving and postpartum uterine infection, clinical findings of transrectal palpation, and backfat thickness were analyzed as potential factors for the prevalence of subclinical endometritis in repeat breeder cows. The prevalence of subclinical endometritis in repeat breeder cows was 12.7%; but common uterine pathogens, Escherichia coli and Trueperella pyogenes, were found in only one and three cows, respectively. Ovarian activity was determined in 95.0% of all cows. Recorded variables had no effect on the prevalence of subclinical endometritis in repeat breeder cows. In conclusion, subclinical endometritis and uterine infections linked to common pathogens were playing a minor role as a cause for repeat breeder cows in this study. Alternative reasons for failure to conceive in these cows are discussed.

Full Text Available This investigation was carried out to study egg traits (weight, specific gravity and eggshell thickness, and neonatal chick parameters (weight, blood, cardiac and lung parameters from breeder at different ages. After hatching, neonatal chicks, male and female, from broiler breeder at three different ages (30, 45 and 60 weeks were sacrificed and blood (red blood cell number, hematocrit, mean cell volume, blood viscosity, and haemoglobin, cardiac (right ventricle and total ventricle weights, cardiac index and lung (mean pulmonary pressure, fresh relative lung weight parameters were measured. No significant differences in eggshell thickness or specific gravity were observed in eggs from the three different breeder age. The incubated eggs and neonatal chicks showed heavier absolute weights with increasing breeder age. Broiler breeder age did not affect blood parameters or cardiac index, but affected right ventricle and total ventricle absolute weights. Red blood cell number and hematocrit were higher and lung weight and lung weight:chick weight index were lower for female neonatal chicks. The findings of this study revealed that breeder age affects neonatal chick parameters such as body weight, heart and lung absolute weights, but not blood parameters.

Full Text Available ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of digestible threonine supplementation in the starter diet on the performance, intestinal parameters, and nutrient metabolism of broilers derived from breeders of different ages. In total, 480 one-day-old Cobb chicks, derived from 38-or 49-week-oldbreeders, were housed in experimental battery cages until 21 days of age and fed four different threonine levels (800, 900, 1,000, or 1,100 mg/kg in the starter feed. A completely randomized experimental design in a 2x4 factorial arrangement (breeder age x threonine levels was applied, totaling eight treatments with five replicates of 12 birds each. Broilers from older breeders fed 800 mg digestible threonine/kg of diet presented higher weight gain, with a positive linear effect. There was also an interaction between breeder age and threonine levels for the weight gain of 21-d-old broilers supplemented at maximum level of 1,003 mg Thr/kg diet during the starter phase. There was no effect of breeder age or threonine levels on nutrient metabolism during the period of 17-21 days. There was no influence of breeder age or threonine levels in the starter diet on intestinal morphometric measurements, absorption area, or percentage of goblet cells.

For the fabrication of insulation coatings with good vacuum tightness, mechanical and electrical properties needed for voltage breaker and plasma facing components of tokamak vacuum vessel, a plasma spraying system equipped= with an improved power supply and a precision powder feeder is employed for the development of the optimum processes for ceramic insulation coatings. The material properties of the ceramic coatings for tokamak vacuum vessel components are evaluated by material tests and analyses to determine optimum processing parameters for insulation coatings. As a result of material evaluation for Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} and Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}-TiO{sub 2} ceramic insulation coatings fabricated, Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}-3%TiO{sub 2} ceramic turn out to be the best insulation coating for tokamak use in respect of electrical and mechanical properties. Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} coating with dielectric strength values of more than 26 kV/mm can also be applicable to tokamak vacuum vessel components for electric insulation by improving its low adhesive strength. 23 refs., 9 tabs., 14 figs. (author)

A reactor vessel (1) comprises a reactor body (2) through which channels (3) are provided whose surface comprises longitudinal inwardly directed parts (4) and is provided with a catalyst (6), as well as buffer bodies (8, 12) connected to the channels (3) on both sides of the reactor body (2) and comprising connections for supplying (9, 10, 11) and discharging (13, 14, 15) via the channels (3) gases and/or liquids entering into a reaction with each other and substances formed upon this reactio...

Research on the eutectic Pb-17Li is part of the blanket studies carried out in Europe for fusion power reactors. The use of this breeder makes easier some safety problems as compared to the case of lithium as a consequence of the lower chemical reactivity of Pb-17Li. On the other hand, it increases the radioactivity problems due to the neutron activation of lead and impurities. This paper presents both short-term (accidents) and long-term (waste disposal and recycling) aspects of the Pb-17Li activation products. They include the production, mobilization, release and environmental impact. Concerning accidents, a particular attention is given to Po-210 and Hg-203. Questions related to waste management are also revised. The most attractive solution seems that of recycling the spent Pb-17Li. This will be possible about 20 y after removal from service. As an alternative to recycling, the breeder disposal as radioactive waste is discussed. (orig.).

This patent relates to nuclear reactors of the type which use a liquid fuel, such as a solution of uranyl sulfate in ordinary water which acts as the moderator. The reactor is comprised of a spherical vessel having a diameter of about 12 inches substantially surrounded by a reflector of beryllium oxide. Conventionnl control rods and safety rods are operated in slots in the reflector outside the vessel to control the operation of the reactor. An additional means for increasing the safety factor of the reactor by raising the ratio of delayed neutrons to prompt neutrons, is provided and consists of a soluble sulfate salt of beryllium dissolved in the liquid fuel in the proper proportion to obtain the result desired.

Full Text Available We review the status and the results of reactor neutrino experiments. Short-baseline experiments have provided the measurement of the reactor neutrino spectrum, and their interest has been recently revived by the discovery of the reactor antineutrino anomaly, a discrepancy between the reactor neutrino flux state of the art prediction and the measurements at baselines shorter than one kilometer. Middle and long-baseline oscillation experiments at Daya Bay, Double Chooz, and RENO provided very recently the most precise determination of the neutrino mixing angle θ13. This paper provides an overview of the upcoming experiments and of the projects under development, including the determination of the neutrino mass hierarchy and the possible use of neutrinos for society, for nonproliferation of nuclear materials, and geophysics.

Describes a course, including content, reading list, and presentation on chemical reactors at Cambridge University, England. A brief comparison of chemical engineering education between the United States and England is also given. (JN)

Full Text Available In the present study we measured serum glucose, leptin, total cholesterol and total protein concentrations in repeat breeder cows and compared them with fertile cows. For this aim, 20 repeat breeder cows and 20 fertile cows were used as material. Repeat breeder cows were found to have lower levels of leptin and glucose as compared with fertile ones. No significant differences in total cholesterol and total protein levels were observed between the two groups. No significant correlation of leptin with glucose, total cholesterol and total protein was observed in fertile and repeat breeder cows. Low concentrations of glucose and leptin can have some effects on reproductive problems as repeat breeder and help to understand potential mechanisms impairing fertility in repeat breeder cows.

We review the status and the results of reactor neutrino experiments, that toe the cutting edge of neutrino research. Short baseline experiments have provided the measurement of the reactor neutrino spectrum, and are still searching for important phenomena such as the neutrino magnetic moment. They could open the door to the measurement of coherent neutrino scattering in a near future. Middle and long baseline oscillation experiments at Chooz and KamLAND have played a relevant role in neutrin...

This report summarizes the further findings from the assessments of current status and future needs in code qualification and licensing of reference structural materials and new advanced alloys for advanced recycling reactors (ARRs) in support of Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative (AFCI). The work is a combined effort between Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) with ANL as the technical lead, as part of Advanced Structural Materials Program for AFCI Reactor Campaign. The report is the second deliverable in FY08 (M505011401) under the work package 'Advanced Materials Code Qualification'. The overall objective of the Advanced Materials Code Qualification project is to evaluate key requirements for the ASME Code qualification and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approval of structural materials in support of the design and licensing of the ARR. Advanced materials are a critical element in the development of sodium reactor technologies. Enhanced materials performance not only improves safety margins and provides design flexibility, but also is essential for the economics of future advanced sodium reactors. Code qualification and licensing of advanced materials are prominent needs for developing and implementing advanced sodium reactor technologies. Nuclear structural component design in the U.S. must comply with the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code Section III (Rules for Construction of Nuclear Facility Components) and the NRC grants the operational license. As the ARR will operate at higher temperatures than the current light water reactors (LWRs), the design of elevated-temperature components must comply with ASME Subsection NH (Class 1 Components in Elevated Temperature Service). However, the NRC has not approved the use of Subsection NH for reactorcomponents, and this puts additional burdens on materials qualification of the ARR. In the past licensing review for the Clinch River BreederReactor Project (CRBRP

The analytical model of nuclear reactor transients, incorporating both mechanical and nuclear effects, simulates reactor kinetics. Linear analysis shows the stability borderline for small power perturbations. In a stable system, initial power disturbances die out with time. With an unstable combination of nuclear and mechanical characteristics, initial disturbances persist and may increase with time. With large instability, oscillations of great magnitude occur. Stability requirements set limits on the power density at which particular reactors can operate. The limiting power density depends largely on the product of two terms: the fraction of delayed neutrons and the frictional damping of vibratory motion in reactor core components. As the fraction of delayed neutrons is essentially fixed, mechanical damping largely determines the maximum power density. A computer program, based on the analytical model, calculates and plots reactor power as a nonlinear function of time in response to assigned values of mechanical and nuclear characteristics.

Highlights: • Feasibility of the arc-discharge and plasma-sputtering techniques in removing deposited layers from ITER-relevant samples demonstrated. • Samples with the size of an A4 paper can be cleaned from 1-μm thick deposited layers in 10–20 minutes by the arc-discharge method. • The plasma-sputtering method is 5–10 times slower but the resulting surfaces are very smooth. • Arc-discharge method could be used for rapid cleaning of plasma-facing components during maintenance shutdowns of ITER, plasma sputtering is preferred for diagnostics mirrors. - Abstract: We have studied the feasibility of arc-discharge and plasma-sputtering methods in removing deposited layers from ITER-relevant test samples. Prototype devices have been designed and constructed for the experiments and the cleaning process is monitored by a spectral detection system. The present version of the arc-discharge device is capable of removing 1-μm thick layers from 350-mm{sup 2} areas in 4–8 s, but due to the increased roughness of the cleaned surfaces and signs of local melting, mirror-like surfaces cannot be treated by this technique. The plasma-sputtering approach, for its part, is some 5–10 times slower in removing the deposited layers but no changes in surface roughness or morphology of the samples could be observed after the cleaning phase. The arc-discharge technique could therefore be used for rapid cleaning of plasma-facing components during maintenance shutdowns of ITER while in the case of diagnostics mirrors plasma sputtering is preferred.

Full Text Available In the article were analyzed content, structure and special features of the practical training of the future breeder-geneticists. There was specified that for bachelor breeder-geneticists of the 6.090101 “Agronomy” training direction are provided the following practices: botany, tractors and cars, soil science, agricultural machines, fruit growing, vegetable growing, agriculture, agrochemistry, plant growing, entomology, phytopathology, technology of retreatment and preservation of plant growing production, selection and seed growing of agricultural crops; work practice on agronomy.In the article was grounded the structural-logic scheme of organization of practices of the future breeder-geneticists for forming their professional research competences. There were analyzed functions and methods of scientific-cognitive activity, forms, means and methods of the practical education. According to the types of practices there were elucidated and grounded the structure of practical training of the future breeder-geneticists – natural-technical and special-professional – educational and work practices.The natural-technical, special-professional and production-technological practices form in bachelor agronomists breeder-geneticists professional scientific-research competences: theoretical-analytical ones – geosphere, bio-geo-physical-chemical, meteorological-climatological, informative, fundamental and applied ecological, fundamental-scientific agrosphere; professional competences of professionally oriented and special practical training – agricultural, branch, techno-service, technological, selective, special-genetic-engineering ones; managerial ones

The coming century will see the exhaustion of standard fossil fuels, coal, gas and oil, which today represent 75% of the world energy production. Moreover, their use will have caused large-scale emission of greenhouse gases (GEG), and induced global climate change. This problem is exacerbated by a growing world energy demand. In this context, nuclear power is the only GEG-free energy source available today capable of responding significantly to this demand. Some scenarios consider a nuclear energy production of around 5 Gtoe in 2050, wich would represent a 20% share of the world energy supply. Present reactors generate energy from the fission of U-235 and require around 200 tons of natural Uranium to produce 1GWe.y of energy, equivalent to the fission of one ton of fissile material. In a scenario of a significant increase in nuclear energy generation, these standard reactors will consume the whole of the world's estimated Uranium reserves in a few decades. However, natural Uranium or Thorium ore, wich are not themselves fissile, can produce a fissile material after a neutron capture ( 239Pu and 233U respectively). In a breederreactor, the mass of fissile material remains constant, and the fertile ore is the only material to be consumed. In this case, only 1 ton of natural ore is needed to produce 1GWe.y. Thus, the breeding concept allows optimal use of fertile ore and development of sustainable nuclear energy production for several thousand years into the future. Different sustainable nuclear reactor concepts are studied in the international forum "generation IV". Different types of coolant (Na, Pb and He) are studied for fast breederreactors based on the Uranium cycle. The thermal Thorium cycle requires the use of a liquid fuel, which can be reprocessed online in order to extract the neutron poisons. This paper presents these different sustainable reactors, based on the Uranium or Thorium fuel cycles and will compare the different options in term of fissile

Measurements of 1+ beam properties and associated performance of ECR Charge Breeder source determined by total efficiency measurement and charge state distributions from the ECR Charge Breeder. These results were communicated to Far-Tech personnel who used them to benchmark the newly developed programs that model ion capture and charge breeding in the ECR Charge Breeder Source. Providing the basic data described above and in the discussion below to Far-Tech allowed them to improve and refine their calculational tools for ECR ion sources. These new tools will be offered for sale to industry and will also provide important guidance to other research labs developing Charge Breeding ion sources for radioactive beam physics research.

Supplementation of feed with jojoba meal, as a means for autonomous feed restriction, was successful in depressing feed intake and controlling body weight of broiler breeder pullets to the extent recommended by the breeder company. However, these broiler breeders never produced eggs. At the level of ovary, normal follicle development and maturation did occur. A considerable number of ovulations occurred which were not followed by oviposition. After ovulation, the ova could not be captured by the oviduct, because of the small size of the oviduct, resulting in "internal laying". The virtual absence of oviduct development cannot be explained presently but it must be due to some yet unidentified factor(s) in jojoba meal which prevent(s) the normal development of the oviduct. These factors may be acting by abnormally increasing plasma progesterone or triiodothyronin levels and/or directly by themselves interfering with oviduct development. The nature of these factors requires further investigations.

This report presents information on the Integral Fast Reactor and its role in the future. Information is presented in the areas of: inherent safety; other virtues of sodium-cooled breeder; and solving LWR fuel cycle problems with IFR technologies. (JDB)

A Q fever outbreak in a small animal veterinary hospital, associated with a cat caesarean section, initiated a cat seroprevalence study (n = 712) that found circulating antibodies to Coxiella burnetii was highest in cattery-confined breeding cats (9.3%). These findings stimulated interest about potential sources of C. burnetii infection for cats and humans associated with cats. Cat breeders are potentially a group at increased risk of C. burnetii infection, and this study sought to identify potential risk factors. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted targeting all domestic cat breeders registered with an affiliate member body in Australia in 2015. Responses from 177 cat breeders across Australia were analysed. Forty per cent of responding cat breeders had not heard of Q fever. Raw meat was fed as an integral constituent of the diet by 89% of respondents. Eighty per cent of respondents allowed queens access to the home for parturition, and assistance of queens and resuscitation of kittens at the time of birth were reported by 97% of respondents. Respondents who perceived some level of exposure to Q fever through their breeding activities were three times less likely to perform mouth-to-snout resuscitation (OR 0.3 95% CI 0.1-0.9; P = 0.034) than those who did not perceive a risk of exposure. Similarly, respondents who perceived Q fever as a risk through breeding activities were close to eight times more likely to use personal protective equipment during parturition (OR 7.7 95% CI 1.5-39.9; P = 0.015) than those who did not. Husbandry practices of cat breeders that may increase the risk of C. burnetii transmission require further targeted investigations to assess the contribution of these risk factors to the acquisition of disease. Concurrent education forums are recommended to inform Australian cat breeders of the aetiopathogenesis of Q fever.

Full Text Available The objective of this study was to describe two clinical cases of toxicosis by accidental administration of salinomycin in feed in broiler breeders and turkeys. In the first clinical case, a 32000 broiler breeders flock, 30 weeks of age, suffered a severe mortality during the first week, a sharp decrease in egg production and a dramatic reduction in food consumption together with an increase of eating time. The pathological condition manifested itself mainly with leg paralysis and reluctance to move. In necropsy, signs of bile hyper-secretion, absence of feed in the digestive tract, liver degeneration, egg peritonitis, enlarged kidneys and spleen atrophy were found. Serological examinations for IBV, IBD, NDV, Mg, Ms, Ort, TRT, AE and CAA were negative. The broiler breeders flock was finally euthanized due to an irreversible condition, slow recovery and poor production indicators. In the second clinical case, a flock of 27000 turkeys fatteners, aged from 20 to 35 days, showed an increased daily mortality up to 10 and a 88% total death loss in 2 weeks period. The turkeys showed great growth retardation, reluctance to move and eat, ataxia and absence of gross lesions, except atrophy of the spleen and pica. Serological examinations for NDV and AI were negative. After removal and change of feed, the remaining flock recovered normally. These two clinical cases were initially associated with incorrect diet and, after obtaining detailed clinical history, laboratory tests and food analysis, the by error administration of salinomycin in feed was confirmed. The final concentrations of salinomycin in feed analysis reached 64.6-124 mg kg-1 for the broiler breeders and 298-944 mg kg-1 for turkeys. While salinomycin toxicosis has been reported worldwide in the literature in a number of animal species, including turkey breeders and fatteners with similar symptoms, in broiler breeders has never been reported on the field.

This report is the Proceedings of `the Sixth International Workshop on Ceramic Breeder Blanket Interactions` which was held as a workshop on ceramic breeders under Annex II of IEA Implementing Agreement on a Programme of Research and Development on Fusion Materials, and Japan-US Workshop 97FT4-01. This workshop was held in Mito city, Japan on October 22-24, 1997. About forty experts from EU, Japan, USA, and Chile attended the workshop. The scope of the workshop included the following: (1) fabrication and characterization of ceramic breeders, (2) properties data for ceramic breeders, (3) tritium release characteristics, (4) modeling of tritium behavior, (5) irradiation effects on performance behavior, (6) blanket design and R and D requirements, (7) hydrogen behavior in materials, and (8) blanket system technology and structural materials. In the workshop, information exchange was performed for fabrication technology of ceramic breeder pebbles in EU and Japan, data of various properties of Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3}, tritium release behavior of Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3} and Li{sub 2}ZrO{sub 3} including tritium diffusion, modeling of tritium release from Li{sub 2}ZrO{sub 3} in ITER condition, helium release behavior from Li{sub 2}O, results of tritium release irradiation tests of Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4} pebbles in EXOTIC-7, R and D issues for ceramic breeders for ITER and DEMO blankets, etc. The 23 of the papers are indexed individually. (J.P.N.)

This publication Nuclear Reactors and Technology (NRT) announces on a monthly basis the current worldwide information available from the open literature on nuclear reactors and technology, including all aspects of power reactors, components and accessories, fuel elements, control systems, and materials. This publication contains the abstracts of DOE reports, journal articles, conference papers, patents, theses, and monographs added to the Energy Science and Technology Database during the past month. Also included are US information obtained through acquisition programs or interagency agreements and international information obtained through the International Energy Agency`s Energy Technology Data Exchange or government-to-government agreements. The digests in NRT and other citations to information on nuclear reactors back to 1948 are available for online searching and retrieval on the Energy Science and Technology Database and Nuclear Science Abstracts (NSA) database. Current information, added daily to the Energy Science and Technology Database, is available to DOE and its contractors through the DOE Integrated Technical Information System. Customized profiles can be developed to provide current information to meet each user`s needs.

In cooperation with the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), the Halden Reactor Project organised a Summer School on Light Water Reactor Structural Materials in the period August 26 - 30, 2002. The summer school was primarily intended for people who wanted to become acquainted with materials-related subjects and issues without being experts. It is especially hoped that the summer school served to transfer knowledge to the ''young generation'' in the field of nuclear. Experts from Halden Project member organisations were solicited for the following programme: (1) Overview of The Nuclear Community and Current Issues, (2) Regulatory Framework for Ensuring Structural Integrity, (3) Non-Destructive Testing for Detection of Cracks, (4) Part I - Basics of Radiation and Radiation Damage, (5) Part II - Radiation Effects on Reactor Internal Materials, (6) Water Chemistry and Radiolysis Effects in LWRs, (7) PWR and Fast BreederReactor Internals, (8) PWR and Fast BreederReactor Internals, (9) Secondary Side Corrosion Cracking of PWR Steam Generator Tubes, (10) BWR Materials and Their Interaction with the Environment, (11) Radiation Damage in Reactor Pressure Vessels.

There is a paucity of information regarding the influence of incubational humidity on the characteristics of broiler embryos from young hens that often produce chicks of marginal quality. Therefore, the effects of broiler breeder age (26, 28, and 30 wk) in young broiler breeders and incubator humidity (43, 53, and 63% RH) on embryonic growth between 16 and 21 d of incubation, hatching chick weight, and embryo and chick body compositions were evaluated. Hatching broiler chick BW at 21 d was lower for 26-wk-old breeders compared to those at 28 and 30 wk, and the lowest RH decreased relative wet embryo weight. Embryonic growth, on wet and DM bases, was increased in eggs from the youngest hens. Embryo moisture content (EM) was lower at 16, 17, and 19 d of incubation in eggs from breeders at 26 wk when compared to those at 28 wk of age. The effects of RH on embryo crude protein and fat composition were not consistent and varied with breeder age and length of incubation. It was demonstrated that broiler breeder age affects embryogenesis and hatching chick BW. Furthermore, EM was influenced by breeder age, and changes in incubational RH between 43 and 63% affected embryogenesis without having associated effects on EM or consistent effects on embryo crude fat and protein content. Nevertheless, a depression in embryogenesis with a reduction in incubational RH to 43% may accentuate poor posthatch performance of chicks from young breeders.

Broiler breeders are routinely fed restricted during rearing which has a major negative effect on their welfare. They suffer from hunger and frustration from thwarting of feeding. The aim of this experiment was therefore to study if broiler breeder welfare can be improved by changes in the feeding s

Two experiments were conducted to study the interaction between breeder age and egg size on the energy utilization (experiment 1) and heat production (experiment 2) of broiler embryos. In experiment 1, a total of 4,800 Ross-308 hatching eggs from 2 breeder ages (29 and 53 wk of age, or young and old

Plant breeding serves an important public interest. Two intellectual property (IP) systems are relevant for the protection of innovations in this sector: plant breeder's rights and patent rights. Some exemptions play an important role in plant breeding, such as the 'breeder's exemption', which is un

Low-density diets might help to reduce hunger feeling in restricted-fed broiler breeders. Effects of low-density diets on nutrient digestibility and bird development were studied in Cobb 500 broiler breeder hens from 4 wk of age until the onset of the lay (wk 26). The experiment included 4 treatment

Sonochemical reactors are based on the generation of cavitational events using ultrasound and offer immense potential for the intensification of physical and chemical processing applications. The present work presents a critical analysis of the underlying mechanisms for intensification, available reactor configurations and overview of the different applications exploited successfully, though mostly at laboratory scales. Guidelines have also been presented for optimum selection of the important operating parameters (frequency and intensity of irradiation, temperature and liquid physicochemical properties) as well as the geometric parameters (type of reactor configuration and the number/position of the transducers) so as to maximize the process intensification benefits. The key areas for future work so as to transform the successful technique at laboratory/pilot scale into commercial technology have also been discussed. Overall, it has been established that there is immense potential for sonochemical reactors for process intensification leading to greener processing and economic benefits. Combined efforts from a wide range of disciplines such as material science, physics, chemistry and chemical engineers are required to harness the benefits at commercial scale operation.

The reactor internal structures and components of a liquid metal reactor (LMR) are submerged in hot sodium of reactor vessel. The division 3 of ASME code section XI specifies the visual inspection as major in-service inspection (ISI) methods of reactor internal structures and components. Reactor internals of LMR can not be visually examined due to opaque liquid sodium. The under-sodium viewing techniques using an ultrasonic wave should be applied for the visual inspection of reactor internals. Recently, an ultrasonic waveguide sensor with a strip plate has been developed for an application to the under-sodium inspection. In this study, visualization technique, ranging technique and monitoring technique have been suggested for the remote inspection of reactor internals by using the waveguide sensor. The feasibility of these remote inspection techniques using ultrasonic waveguide sensor has been evaluated by an experimental verification.

A core design concept and fuel management strategy, designated breed/burn, has been evaluated for heterogeneous fast breederreactors. In this concept internal blanket assemblies after fissile material is bred in over several incore cycles, are shuffled into a moderated radial blanket and/or central island. The most promising materials combination identified used thorium in the internal blankets (due to the superior performance of epithermal Th-U233 systems) and zirconium hydride (ZrH/sub 16/) as the moderator (because of the compact assembly and core designs it permitted).

Several components of a STARFIRE fusion reactor have been studied. The breeding ratios were calculated as a function of lithium enrichment and neutron multiplier for systems containing either Li/sub 2/O or LiAlO/sub 2/. The lithium requirements for a fusion economy were also estimated for those cases and the current US resources were found to be adequate. However, competition with other lithium demands in the future emphasizes the need for recovering and reusing lithium. The radioactivities induced in the breeder and the impurities responsible for their formation were determined. The residual radioactivities of several low-activation structural materials were compared with the radioactivity from the prime candidate alloy (PCA) a titanium modified Type 316 stainless steel used in STARFIRE. The impurities responsible for the radioactivity levels were identified. From these radioactive impurity levels it was determined that V15Cr5Ti could meet the requirements for shallow land burial as specified by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (10CFR61), whereas PCA would require a more restrictive disposal mode, i.e. in a geologic medium. The costs for each of these disposal modes were then estimated.

New design approaches are proposed for the LHD-type heliotron D-T demo-reactor FFHR2 to solve the key engineering issues of blanket space limitation and replacement difficulty. A major radius of over 14 m is selected to permit a blanket-shield thickness of about 1 m and to reduce the neutron wall loading and toroidal field, while achieving an acceptable cost of electricity. Two sets of optimization are successfully carried out. One is to reduce the magnetic hoop force on the helical coil support structures by adjustment of the helical winding coil pitch parameter and the poloidal coils design, which facilitates expansion of the maintenance ports. The other is a long-life blanket concept using carbon armour tiles that soften the neutron energy spectrum incident on the self-cooled flibe-reduced activation ferritic steel blanket. In this adaptation of the spectral-shifter and tritium breeder blanket (STB) concept a local tritium breeding ratio over 1.2 is feasible by optimized arrangement of the neutron multiplier Be in the carbon tiles, and the radiation shielding of the superconducting magnet coils is also significantly improved. Using constant cross sections of a helically winding shape, the 'screw coaster' concept is proposed to replace in-vessel components such as the STB armour tiles. The key R&D issues for developing the STB concept, such as radiation effects on carbon and enhanced heat transfer of Flibe, are elucidated.

国际受控热核聚变实验堆计划是全球规模最大、影响最深远的国际科研合作项目之一，有望彻底解决能源危机。核聚变反应堆关键部件———包层模块的结构复杂、体积庞大，且服役环境恶劣，焊接接头成为影响反应堆安全运行的薄弱环节。以扩散连接为代表的固相焊接技术对接头性能及组织影响较小，已逐渐取代熔化焊应用于包层模块复杂构件制造。在简要介绍扩散连接及其原理的基础上，对包层模块构件扩散连接的研究进展进行了阐述，包括低活化铁素体／马氏体钢及氧化物弥散强化钢构件的扩散连接，Be，W，SiC等其他先进高温材料的扩散连接等。%International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor is one of the world′s largest and the most far-reaching in-ternational scientific collaborative projects, which is expected to solve the energy crisis.As a key built-up part, blanket module has complex structure and large size, and serves under harsh service conditions.The welding joints of blanket mod-ule have become the weak links affecting the operation of the nuclear fusion reactor.Solid-phase welding technology, repre-sented by diffusion bonding, have relatively low effect on the mechanical properties and microstructure of the joints, and has gradually taken the place of the fusion welding technology used for fabrication of the blanket module complex compo-nents.Based on the brief presentation of diffusion bondingand its bonding mechanism, the research progress in diffusion bonding of blanket module components was discussed in this paper, including the diffusion bonding of reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steels and oxide dispersion strengthened steels, and the diffusion bonding of Be, W, SiC and/or other advanced high-temperature materials.

A review of the Savannah River Site production reactor systems was initiated in 1980 and led to implementation of the Reactor Materials Program in 1984 to assess reactor safety and reactor service life. The program evaluated performance of the reactor tanks, primary coolant piping, and thermal shields, components of welded construction that were fabricated from Type 304 stainless steel. The structural integrity analysis of the primary coolant system has shown that the pressure boundary is not susceptible to gross rupture, including a double ended guillotine break or equivalent large area bank. Residual service life is potentially limited by two material degradation modes, irradiation damage and intergranular stress corrosion cracking. Analysis of the structural integrity of the tanks and piping has shown that continued safe operation of the reactors for several additional decades is not limited by the material performance of the primary coolant system. Although irradiation damage has not degraded material behavior to an unacceptable level, past experience has revealed serious difficulties with repair welding on irradiated stainless steel. Stress corrosion can be mitigated by newly identified limits on impurity concentrations in the coolant water and by stress mitigation of weld residual stresses. Work continues in several areas: the effects of helium on mechanical behavior of irradiated stainless steel; improved weld methods for piping and the reactor tanks; and a surveillance program to track irradiation effects on the tank walls.

A review of the Savannah River Site production reactor systems was initiated in 1980 and led to implementation of the Reactor Materials Program in 1984 to assess reactor safety and reactor service life. The program evaluated performance of the reactor tanks, primary coolant piping, and thermal shields, components of welded construction that were fabricated from Type 304 stainless steel. The structural integrity analysis of the primary coolant system has shown that the pressure boundary is not susceptible to gross rupture, including a double ended guillotine break or equivalent large area bank. Residual service life is potentially limited by two material degradation modes, irradiation damage and intergranular stress corrosion cracking. Analysis of the structural integrity of the tanks and piping has shown that continued safe operation of the reactors for several additional decades is not limited by the material performance of the primary coolant system. Although irradiation damage has not degraded material behavior to an unacceptable level, past experience has revealed serious difficulties with repair welding on irradiated stainless steel. Stress corrosion can be mitigated by newly identified limits on impurity concentrations in the coolant water and by stress mitigation of weld residual stresses. Work continues in several areas: the effects of helium on mechanical behavior of irradiated stainless steel; improved weld methods for piping and the reactor tanks; and a surveillance program to track irradiation effects on the tank walls.

Radioactive Ion Beams play an increasingly important role in several European research facility programs such as SPES, SPIRAL1 Upgrade, and SPIRAL2, but even more for those such as EURISOL. Although remarkable advances of ECRIS charge breeders (CBs) have been achieved, further studies are needed to gain insight on the physics of the charge breeding process. The fundamental plasma processes of charge breeders are studied in the frame of the European collaboration project, EMILIE, for optimizing the charge breeding. Important information on the charge breeding can be obtained by conducting similar experiments using the gas mixing and 2-frequency heating techniques with a conventional JYFL 14 GHz ECRIS and the LPSC-PHOENIX charge breeder. The first experiments were carried out with noble gases and they revealed, for example, that the effects of the gas mixing and 2-frequency heating on the production of high charge states appear to be additive for the conventional ECRIS. The results also indicate that at least in the case of noble gases the differences between the conventional ECRIS and the charge breeder cause only minor impact on the production efficiency of ion beams.

Low-density diets may improve welfare of restricted fed broiler breeders by increasing feed intake time with less frustration of feed intake behavior as a result. Moreover, low-density diets may promote satiety through a more filled gastrointestinal tract, and thus feelings of hunger may be reduced.

In previous studies, a lack of agreement in measurements of plasma corticosterone concentrations and heterophil:lymphocyte (H/L) ratio as physiological indices of stress, caused by hunger and frustration in restricted-fed broiler breeders, was observed. It could be suggested that the differences bet

We report here on the last progresses made with the PHOENIX electron cyclotron resonance charge breeder test bench at ISOLDE. Recently, an experiment was performed to test the trapping of (61)Fe daughter nuclides from the decay of (61)Mn nuclides. Preliminary results are given.

Restricted feeding of broiler breeders is required to obtain good reproductive performance. Current practical feed restriction levels can result in hunger feeling and chronic stress, particularly during the rearing period. On the basis of literature data, low-density diets might improve bird welfare

Accelerator driven subcritical cascade reactor composed of the main thermal neutron reactor constructed analogous to the core of the VVER-1000 reactor and a booster-reactor, which is constructed similar to the core of the BN-350 fast breederreactor, is taken as a model example. It is shown by means of Monte Carlo calculations that such system is a safe energy source (k_{eff}=0.94-0.98) and it is capable of transmuting produced radioactive wastes (neutron flux density in the thermal zone is PHI^{max} (r,z)=10^{14} n/(cm^{-2} s^{-1}), neutron flux in the fast zone is respectively equal PHI^{max} (r,z)=2.25 cdot 10^{15} n/(cm^{-2} s^{-1}) if the beam current of the proton accelerator is k_{eff}=0.98 and I=5.3 mA). Suggested configuration of the "cascade" reactor system essentially reduces the requirements on the proton accelerator current.

Our group developed a genetic-counselling program for boxer-dog breeders in The Netherlands, using data for cryptorchidism (uni- and/or bilateral), epilepsy, knee-problems (including ligament rupture, fractured or ruptured meniscus, severe osteo-arthrosis of the knee, or a combination of these disorders), and schisis (including cheiloschisis, palatoschisis, or cheilopalatoschisis). We transformed the estimated breeding values (EBVs) into odds ratios (ORs), to enable the breeder to compare the risk for each of the traits for a certain dam-sire combination with the average population risk (set at 1). The goal of the study was to evaluate the use of our genetic-counselling program by Dutch breeders of boxer dogs. We asked breeders of the Dutch Boxer Club to send in an application form for genetic-counselling from June 1 to December 1, 2000. Breeders indicated on this application form three desirable sires for their dam (sire 1, sire 2, sire 3) in random order. On the basis of this information, a counselling report was produced which included ORs for the four diseases in litters of the dam-sire combinations indicated on the application form. Together with the counselling report, the breeders received an evaluation form. We received 129 application forms from 70 breeders, and collected 125 evaluations. Of these evaluations, 96 were informative about the influence of the counselling report on sire choice. The most-important criteria used by breeders to select sires were: the exterior characteristics (60%) and known progeny (52%). Although it was the first time breeders could make use of genetic-counselling, 32% of the breeders indicated that the genetic-counselling played a major role in their sire selection. Breeders expressed little difference in importance for the four genetic traits, but there was a tendency to consider epilepsy more than the others. Breeders hesitated to put long-term population interest above short-term personal interest. Nevertheless, the general

Full Text Available This paper presents a preliminary technical design for the dismantling of the MR reactor. The goal of the design is the removal of reactorcomponents allowing the re-use of the building for a different nuclear related purpose. The sequence of segmentation procedures is established. Considerations on the size reduction and tooling are presented.

Full Text Available Broiler breeders (parents of meat chickens are selected for fast growth and become obese if fed ad libitum. To avoid this and maintain good health and reproductive ability, they are feed restricted to about 1/3 of what they would eat ad libitum. As a result, they experience chronic hunger and exhibit abnormal behaviour patterns that may indicate stress and frustration. One approach to measuring hunger is to observe how much birds will work, such as pecking a key, for access to more or different types of food. However, the sight, smell, and feedback from consumption of the feed reward changes the context and may artificially raise feeding motivation. To avoid this, we tested broiler breeders in an apparatus in which they could work for access to a wooden platform covered in wood shavings by crossing a water runway which increased in length and depth in 8 successive tests. In the wood shavings area, they could perform exploratory and foraging behaviour (the appetitive phase of feeding but were never rewarded with feed. Sixty birds were divided into three feed quantity treatments: commercial restriction (R, and twice (2R or three times (3R this amount. Overall, birds fed R worked harder to reach the wood shavings area (reached it in a larger number of tests than 2R and 3R birds (P2R>3R. This indicates that restricted-fed birds were hungry and willing to work for the opportunity to forage even though food was never provided, suggesting that their motivation to perform the appetitive component of feeding behaviour (foraging/food searching was sufficient to sustain their response. Thus food restriction in broiler breeders is a welfare concern. However these methods could be used to test alternative feeding regimes to attempt to find ways of alleviating hunger while still maintaining healthy growth and reproduction in these birds.

Broiler breeders (parents of meat chickens) are selected for fast growth and become obese if fed ad libitum. To avoid this and maintain good health and reproductive ability, they are feed restricted to about 1/3 of what they would eat ad libitum. As a result, they experience chronic hunger and exhibit abnormal behaviour patterns that may indicate stress and frustration. One approach to measuring hunger is to observe how much birds will work, such as pecking a key, for access to more or different types of food. However, the sight, smell, and feedback from consumption of the feed reward changes the context and may artificially raise feeding motivation. To avoid this, we tested broiler breeders in an apparatus in which they could work for access to a wooden platform covered in wood shavings by crossing a water runway which increased in length and depth in 8 successive tests. In the wood shavings area, they could perform exploratory and foraging behaviour (the appetitive phase of feeding) but were never rewarded with feed. Sixty birds were divided into three feed quantity treatments: commercial restriction (R), and twice (2R) or three times (3R) this amount. Overall, birds fed R worked harder to reach the wood shavings area (reached it in a larger number of tests) than 2R and 3R birds (P2R>3R). This indicates that restricted-fed birds were hungry and willing to work for the opportunity to forage even though food was never provided, suggesting that their motivation to perform the appetitive component of feeding behaviour (foraging/food searching) was sufficient to sustain their response. Thus food restriction in broiler breeders is a welfare concern. However these methods could be used to test alternative feeding regimes to attempt to find ways of alleviating hunger while still maintaining healthy growth and reproduction in these birds.

Stellarators have significant operational advantages over tokamaks as ignited steady-state reactors because stellarators have no dangerous disruptions and no need for continuous current drive or power recirculated to the plasma, both easing the first wall, blanket, and shield design; less severe constraints on the plasma parameters and profiles; and better access for maintenance. This study shows that a reactor based on the torsatron configuration (a stellarator variant) could also have up to double the mass utilization efficiency (MUE) and a significantly lower cost of electricity (COE) than a conventional tokamak reactor (ARIES-I) for a range of assumptions. Torsatron reactors can have much smaller coil systems than tokamak reactors because the coils are closer to the plasma and they have a smaller cross section (higher average current density because of the lower magnetic field). The reactor optimization approach and the costing and component models are those used in the current stage of the ARIES-I tokamak reactor study. Typical reactor parameters for a 1-GW(e) Compact Torsatron reactor example are major radius R[sub 0] = 6.6-8.8 m, on-axis magnetic field B[sup 0] = 4.8-7.5 T, B[sub max] (on coils) = 16 T, MUE 140-210 kW(e)/tonne, and COE (in constant 1990 dollars) = 67-79 mill/kW(e)h. The results are relatively sensitive to assumptions on the level of confinement improvement and the blanket thickness under the inboard half of the helical windings but relatively insensitive to other assumptions.

This paper on overview of Indian activities on fusion reactor materials describes in brief the efforts India has made to develop materials for the first wall of a tokamak, its blanket and superconducting magnet coils. Through a systematic and scientific approach, India has developed and commercially produced reduced activation ferritic/martensitic (RAFM) steel that is comparable to Eurofer 97. Powder of low activation ferritic/martensitic oxide dispersion strengthened steel with characteristics desired for its application in the first wall of a tokamak has been produced on the laboratory scale. V-4Cr-4Ti alloy was also prepared in the laboratory, and kinetics of hydrogen absorption in this was investigated. Cu-1 wt%Cr-0.1 wt%Zr - an alloy meant for use as heat transfer elements for hypervapotrons and heat sink for the first wall - was developed and characterized in detail for its aging behavior. The role of addition of a small quantity of Zr in its improved fatigue performance was delineated, and its diffusion bonding with both W and stainless steel was achieved using Ni as an interlayer. The alloy was produced in large quantities and used for manufacturing both the heat transfer elements and components for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). India has proposed to install and test a lead-lithium cooled ceramic breeder test blanket module (LLCB-TBM) at ITER. To meet this objective, efforts have been made to produce and characterize Li2TiO3 pebbles, and also improve the thermal conductivity of packed beds of these pebbles. Liquid metal loops have been set up and corrosion behavior of RAFM steel in flowing Pb-Li eutectic has been studied in the presence as well as absence of magnetic fields. To prevent permeation of tritium and reduce the magneto-hydro-dynamic drag, processes have been developed for coating alumina on RAFM steel. Apart from these activities, different approaches being attempted to make the U-shaped first wall of the TBM box

Heat pipes are often proposed as cooling system components for small fission reactors. SAFE-300 and STAR-C are two reactor concepts that use heat pipes as an integral part of the cooling system. Heat pipes have been used in reactors to cool components within radiation tests (Deverall, 1973); however, no reactor has been built or tested that uses heat pipes solely as the primary cooling system. Heat pipe cooled reactors will likely require the development of a test reactor to determine the main differences in operational behavior from forced cooled reactors. The purpose of this paper is to describe the results of a systems code capable of modeling the coupling between the reactor kinetics and heat pipe controlled heat transport. Heat transport in heat pipe reactors is complex and highly system dependent. Nevertheless, in general terms it relies on heat flowing from the fuel pins through the heat pipe, to the heat exchanger, and then ultimately into the power conversion system and heat sink. A system model is described that is capable of modeling coupled reactor kinetics phenomena, heat transfer dynamics within the fuel pins, and the transient behavior of heat pipes (including the melting of the working fluid). This paper focuses primarily on the coupling effects caused by reactor feedback and compares the observations with forced cooled reactors. A number of reactor startup transients have been modeled, and issues such as power peaking, and power-to-flow mismatches, and loading transients were examined, including the possibility of heat flow from the heat exchanger back into the reactor. This system model is envisioned as a tool to be used for screening various heat pipe cooled reactor concepts, for designing and developing test facility requirements, for use in safety evaluations, and for developing test criteria for in-pile and out-of-pile test facilities. .

The Thermal Molten Salt Reactor (TMSR) using the thorium cycle can achieve the GEN IV objectives of economy, safety, non-proliferation and durability. Its low production of higher actinides, coupled with its breeding capabilities - even with a thermal spectrum - are very valuable characteristics for an innovative reactor. Furthermore, the thorium cycle is more flexible than the uranium cycle since only a small fissile inventory (reactor. The potential of these reactors is currently being extensively studied at the CNRS and EdF /1,2/. A simplified chemical reprocessing is envisaged compared to that used for the former Molten Salt BreederReactor (MSBR). The MSBR concept was developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in the 1970's based on the Molten Salt Reactor Experiment (MSRE). The main goals of our current studies are to achieve a reactor concept that enables breeding, improved safety and having chemical reprocessing needs reduced and simplified as much as reasonably possible. The neutronic properties of the new TMSR concept are presented in this paper. As the temperature coefficient is close to zero, we will see that the moderation ratio cannot be chosen to simultaneously achieve a high breeding ratio, long graphite lifetime and low uranium inventory. It is clear that any safety margin taken due to uncertainty in the nuclear data will significantly reduce the capability of this concept, thus a sensitivity analysis is vital to propose measurements which would allow to reduce at present high uncertainties in the design parameters of this reactor. Two methodologies, one based on OECD/NEA deterministic codes and one on IPPE (Obninsk) stochastic code, are compared for keff sensitivity analysis. The uncertainty analysis of keff using covariance matrices available in evaluated files has been performed. Furthermore, a comparison of temperature coefficient sensitivity profiles is presented for the most important reactions. These results are used to review the

In recent years the nuclear reactor designs for the electricity generation have increased their costs, so that at the moment costs are managed of around the 5000 US D for installed kw, reason for which a big nuclear plant requires of investments of the order of billions of dollars, the designed reactors as modular of low power seek to lighten the initial investment of a big reactor dividing the power in parts and dividing in modules the components to lower the production costs, this way it can begin to build a module and finished this to build other, differing the long term investment, getting less risk therefore in the investment. On the other hand the reactors of low power can be very useful in regions where is difficult to have access to the electric net being able to take advantage of the thermal energy of the reactor to feed other processes like the water desalination or the vapor generation for the processes industry like the petrochemical, or even more the possible hydrogen production to be used as fuel. In this work the possibility to generate vapor of high quality for the petrochemical industry is described using a spheres bed reactor of high temperature. (Author)

The power control system of a nuclear reactor is the key system that ensures a safe operation for a nuclear power plant. However, a mathematical model of a nuclear power plant is in the form of nonlinear process and time dependent that give very hard to be described. One of the important components of a Pressurized Water Reactor is the Reactor core. The aim of this study is to analyze the performance of power produced from a reactor core using temperature of the moderator as an input. Mathematical representation of the state space model of the reactor core control system is presented and analyzed in this paper. The data and parameters are taken from a real time VVER-type Pressurized Water Reactor and will be verified using Matlab and Simulink. Based on the simulation conducted, the results show that the temperature of the moderator plays an important role in determining the power of reactor core.

The power control system of a nuclear reactor is the key system that ensures a safe operation for a nuclear power plant. However, a mathematical model of a nuclear power plant is in the form of nonlinear process and time dependent that give very hard to be described. One of the important components of a Pressurized Water Reactor is the Reactor core. The aim of this study is to analyze the performance of power produced from a reactor core using temperature of the moderator as an input. Mathematical representation of the state space model of the reactor core control system is presented and analyzed in this paper. The data and parameters are taken from a real time VVER-type Pressurized Water Reactor and will be verified using Matlab and Simulink. Based on the simulation conducted, the results show that the temperature of the moderator plays an important role in determining the power of reactor core.

With increasing disparity between broiler breeder target weights and broiler growth potential, maintenance energy requirements have become a larger proportion of total broiler breeder energy intake. Because energy is partitioned to growth and egg production at a lower priority than maintenance, accurate prediction of maintenance energy requirements is important for practical broiler breeder feed allocation decisions. Environmental temperature affects the maintenance energy requirement by changing rate of heat loss to the environment. In the ME system, heat production (energy lost) is part of the maintenance requirement (ME). In the current study, a nonlinear mixed model was derived to predict ME partitioning of broiler breeder hens under varied temperature conditions. At 21 wk of age, 192 Ross 708 hens were individually caged within 6 controlled environmental chambers. From 25 to 41 wk, 4 temperature treatments (15°C, 19°C, 23°C, and 27°C) were randomly assigned to the chambers for 2-week periods. Half of the birds in each chamber were fed a high-energy (HE; 2,912 kcal/kg) diet, and half were fed a low-energy (LE; 2,790 kcal/kg) diet. The nonlinear mixed regression model included a normally distributed random term representing individual hen maintenance, a quadratic response to environmental temperature, and linear ADG and egg mass (EM) coefficients. The model assumed that energy requirements for BW gain and egg production were not influenced by environmental temperature because hens were homeothermic, and the cellular processes for associated biochemical processes occurred within a controlled narrow core body temperature range. Residual feed intake (RFI) and residual ME (RME) were used to estimate efficiency. A quadratic effect of environmental temperature on broiler breeder MEm was predicted ( Birds fed the HE diet were more efficient, with a lower RME than birds on the LE diet (-0.63 vs. 0.63 kcal/kg), translating to ME of 135.2 and 136.5 kcal

Fundamental experiments using water were carried out in order to reveal the phenomenon of mixed convective flow penetration into subassemblies from a reactor`s upper plenum of fast breederreactors. This phenomenon appears under a certain natural circulation conditions during the operation of the direct reactor auxiliary cooling system for decay heat removal and might influence the natural circulation head which determines the core flow rate and therefore affects the core coolability. In the experiment, a simplified model which simulates an upper plenum and a subassembly was used and the ultrasonic velocity profile monitor as well as thermocouples were applied for the simultaneous measurement of velocity and temperature distributions in the subassembly. From the measured data, empirical equations related to the penetration flow onset condition and the penetration depth were obtained using relevant parameters which were derived from dimensional analysis.

Full Text Available The Visegrád-4 countries (CZ, HU, PL and SK would like to use nuclear energy on the long run. The construction of new Generation 3+ nuclear units probably belong in each country to this realm. These reactors will provide safe and cheap electric energy approximately until the end of the 21st century. In order to use nuclear energy in the 22nd century, sustainability of fuel supply shall be achieved by applying Generation 4 breederreactors with fast spectrum. The corresponding research and development is organized now in the framework of the V4G4 Centre of Excellence establshed by the nuclear research institutes of the region with a strong technical support from the French CEA. The most important milestone of these efforts is the start-up of the ALLEGRO reactor that shall demonstrate the viability of the gas cooled fast reactor technology.

Shielding research in the United States continues to place emphasis on: (1) the development and refinement of shielding design calculational methods and nuclear data; and (2) the performance of confirmation experiments, both to evaluate specific design concepts and to verify specific calculational techniques and input data. The successful prediction of the radiation levels observed within the now-operating Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) has demonstrated the validity of this two-pronged approach, which has since been applied to US fast breederreactor programs and is now being used to determine radiation levels and possible further shielding needs at operating light water reactors, especially under accident conditions. A similar approach is being applied to the back end of the fission fuel cycle to verify that radiation doses at fuel element storage and transportation facilities and within fuel reprocessing plants are kept at acceptable levels without undue economic penalties.

The research and development under this project was focused on the following three major objectives: Objective 1: Identification of critical in-vessel SMR components for remote monitoring and development of their low-order dynamic models, along with a simulation model of an integral pressurized water reactor (iPWR). Objective 2: Development of an experimental flow control loop with motor-driven valves and pumps, incorporating data acquisition and on-line monitoring interface. Objective 3: Development of stationary and transient signal processing methods for electrical signatures, machinery vibration, and for characterizing process variables for equipment monitoring. This objective includes the development of a data analysis toolbox. The following is a summary of the technical accomplishments under this project: - A detailed literature review of various SMR types and electrical signature analysis of motor-driven systems was completed. A bibliography of literature is provided at the end of this report. Assistance was provided by ORNL in identifying some key references. - A review of literature on pump-motor modeling and digital signal processing methods was performed. - An existing flow control loop was upgraded with new instrumentation, data acquisition hardware and software. The upgrading of the experimental loop included the installation of a new submersible pump driven by a three-phase induction motor. All the sensors were calibrated before full-scale experimental runs were performed. - MATLAB-Simulink model of a three-phase induction motor and pump system was completed. The model was used to simulate normal operation and fault conditions in the motor-pump system, and to identify changes in the electrical signatures. - A simulation model of an integral PWR (iPWR) was updated and the MATLAB-Simulink model was validated for known transients. The pump-motor model was interfaced with the iPWR model for testing the impact of primary flow perturbations (upsets) on

Affordable planning and execution of prolonged manned space missions depend upon the utilization of local resources and the waste products which are formed in manned spacecraft and surface bases. Successful in-situ resources utilization (ISRU) will require component technologies which provide optimal size, weight, volume, and power efficiency. Microchannel reactors enable the efficient chemical processing of in situ resources. The reactors can be designed for the processes that generate the most benefit for each mission. For instance, propellants (methane) can be produced from carbon dioxide from the Mars atmosphere using the Sabatier reaction and ethylene can be produced from the partial oxidation of methane. A system that synthesizes ethylene could be the precursor for systems to synthesize ethanol and polyethylene. Ethanol can be used as a nutrient for Astrobiology experiments, as well as the production of nutrients for human crew (e.g. sugars). Polyethylene can be used in the construction of habitats, tools, and replacement parts. This paper will present recent developments in miniature chemical reactors using advanced Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) and microchannel technology to support ISRU of Mars and lunar missions. Among other applications, the technology has been demonstrated for the Sabatier process and for the partial oxidation of methane. Microchannel reactors were developed based on ceramic substrates as well as metal substrates. In both types of reactors, multiple layers coated with catalytic material are bonded, forming a monolithic structure. Such reactors are readily scalable with the incorporation of extra layers. In addition, this reactor structure minimizes pressure drop and catalyst settling, which are common problems in conventional packed bed reactors.

A hybrid adsorbent-membrane reactor in which the chemical reaction, membrane separation, and product adsorption are coupled. Also disclosed are a dual-reactor apparatus and a process using the reactor or the apparatus.

A hybrid adsorbent-membrane reactor in which the chemical reaction, membrane separation, and product adsorption are coupled. Also disclosed are a dual-reactor apparatus and a process using the reactor or the apparatus.

Full Text Available The objective of present study was to investigate the effects of spiking of young and/or old males on broiler breeders flock hatchability levels and testicular weight at 45 weeks of age. Two hundred and fifty two female broiler breeders (Ross 308 were assigned to three groups at 24 weeks of age. Adding of males to females groups was carried out at 24, 45 and 45 weeks of age in groups 1, 2 and 3, respectively. Males of group 1 and 2 had 23 weeks of age and males of group 3 had 45 weeks of age. In group 3, adding young males, increased hatchability more than group 2 (P0.05. No significant difference was observed in testicular weight between the treatment groups; however, testicular weight of group 3 was slightly more than the other groups (P>0.05.

In order to investigate the nuclear response to the water-cooled ceramic breeder blanket models for CFETR, a detailed 3D neutronics model with 22.5° torus sector was developed based on the integrated geometry of CFETR, including heterogeneous WCCB blanket models, shield, divertor, vacuum vessel, toroidal and poloidal magnets, and ports. Using the Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport Code MCNP5 and IAEA Fusion Evaluated Nuclear Data Library FENDL2.1, the neutronics analyses were performed. The neutron wall loading, tritium breeding ratio, the nuclear heating, neutron-induced atomic displacement damage, and gas production were determined. The results indicate that the global TBR of no less than 1.2 will be a big challenge for the water-cooled ceramic breeder blanket for CFETR. supported by the National Magnetic Confinement Fusion Science Program of China (Nos. 2013GB108004, 2014GB122000, and 2014GB119000), and National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 11175207)

Samples of lanthanum, erbium and titanium which are constituents of structural materials, insulating coatings and tritium breeder for blankets of fusion reactor designs have been irradiated in a fusion peak neutron field. The induced gamma activities were measured and the results were used to check calculations with the European activation system EASY-2010. Good agreement for the prediction of major contributors to the contact dose rate of the materials was found, but for minor contributors the calculation deviated up to 50%.

A longer-than-expected maintenance shutdown of the Canadian nuclear reactor that produces North America's entire supply of molybdenum-99 - from which the radioactive isotopes technetium-99 and iodine-131 are made - caused delays to the diagnosis and treatment of thousands of seriously ill patients last month. Technetium-99 is a key component of nuclear-medicine scans, while iodine-131 is used to treat cancer and other diseases of the thyroid. Production eventually resumed, but only after the Canadian government had overruled the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), which was still concerned about the reactor's safety.

The Internet is an increasingly common way for consumers to purchase puppies. Yet very little information is available about the types of puppies sold via the Internet. In addition these sales are not subject to United States Depart of Agriculture (USDA) regulation. The objectives of the study were to describe puppies sold via the Internet, to assess the characteristics that contribute to the cost of a puppy, and to compare puppies sold via the Internet with puppies sold by American Kennel Club (AKC) Parent Club breeders. Over 14 weeks in 2008, Yorkshire Terrier, Shih Tzu, English Bulldog, Boxer, and Labrador Retriever puppies for sale on two large-scale online puppy sales sites were categorized based on their Internet advertisements. Data were collected in three categories: puppy characteristics, health characteristics, and policies (such as spay/neuter requirement, health guarantee, and return policy). After the survey was completed, 25 AKC Parent Club breeders and 25 other breeders who advertised via one of the puppy sales websites were randomly selected and interviewed over the phone. Small breed puppies were most frequently advertised with 35.2% (1228/3485) of advertisements for Yorkshire Terriers and 23.0% (802/3485) for Shih Tzus. Almost one quarter of Internet breeders 768/3474 (22.2%) advertised four or more different dog breeds. Champion bloodlines increased the cost of a puppy of all breeds. AKC Parent Club breeders 21/25 (84%) were more likely to mention breed-specific health screening tests when compared to Internet breeders 7/25 (28%). Consumers should apply the same standards for purchasing from a breeder found through a puppy sales site as they would for purchasing from a local breeder. Breeders who advertise at one of the large-scale puppy sales websites are less knowledgeable about breed-specific health issues compared to an AKC Parent Club breeder. Internet breeders are less likely to perform these screening tests on their breeding dogs and may

Decreased semen quality and fertility rate is a common feature in broiler breeder roosters. This decrease is associated with dysfunction of Sertoli cells and defective spermatogenesis. Guanidinoacetic acid (GAA), as a precursor of creatine, plays an important role in the proper functioning of Sertoli cells and energy metabolism in sperm. Twenty, 29-wk-old broiler breeder roosters (Ross 308) were randomly allotted to 4 treatment groups and fed diets supplemented with different levels of GAA, including 0 (GAA-0), 600 (GAA-600), 1200 (GAA-1200), and 1800 (GAA-1800) mg GAA/kg of diet for 26 successive weeks. During a 24-wk period, the seminal characteristics were weekly evaluated. At the end of experiment, sperm penetration and fertility rates were determined, using 68 artificially inseminated age-matched broiler breeder hens of the same strain (for 2 weeks). Semen concentration (P = 0.003), total sperm number (P = 0.005) and sperm forward motility (P = 0.01) were increased by GAA-1200 group. Also, sperm plasma membrane functionality was marginally affected (P = 0.06) in roosters received all levels of GAA. Sperm abnormality and plasma membrane integrity were not affected by dietary GAA. The highest number of sperm penetration holes was recorded for the GAA-1200 group (P = 0.08). Interestingly, fertility rate was increased by the feeding of all levels of GAA (P = 0.01). In conclusion, dietary GAA was associated with improvement in most of the rooster's seminal characteristics and fertility rate, suggesting a potential for using GAA to attenuate the age-related sub-fertility in commercial broiler breeder roosters.

The vast majority of modern cephalopods is single-season breeders, or semelparous in the strict sense, that die soon after the reproduction takes place. Individual body condition in these marine invertebrates is expected to be highly affected by reproduction because: 1) the gonad weight of females, which represents octopus females reduce or even cease their food intake during breeding. Based on this expectation, we analysed the interrelationship between condition and reproduction in the temperate octopus Eledone cirrhosa. Results from a previous work using biochemical analyses showed that reproduction in this species is not fuelled by stored reserves (capital breeder), but by food intakes (income breeder). Since income breeders depend strongly on food resources, the effect of several environmental variables related to food availability such as primary production, sea temperature (ST) and river discharges were also analysed. Condition showed a marked intrannual cycle independently of the sex and, noteworthy, the maturity stage. Given that immature individuals are not expected to display seasonal fluctuations in body condition related to maturation, these results preclude reproduction as a driving factor for the observed circannual cycle. Condition was significantly correlated with all the environmental variables analysed, except with ST at the depths where the species lives. Although this last result also precludes concurrent ST as a driving factor of body condition, those correlations suggest that condition might display an intrinsic seasonal cycle, as many other life-history traits in most species such as reproduction, migration or moulting. Finally, there also remains the possibility that condition in this octopus species is determined genetically, as has been reported in recent studies across different taxonomical groups.

Full Text Available Abstract Background Food security is an issue that has come under renewed scrutiny amidst concerns that substantial yield increases in cereal crops are required to feed the world’s booming population. Wheat is of fundamental importance in this regard being one of the three most important crops for both human consumption and livestock feed; however, increase in crop yields have not kept pace with the demands of a growing world population. In order to address this issue, plant breeders require new molecular tools to help them identify genes for important agronomic traits that can be introduced into elite varieties. Studies of the genome using next-generation sequencing enable the identification of molecular markers such as single nucleotide polymorphisms that may be used by breeders to identify and follow genes when breeding new varieties. The development and application of next-generation sequencing technologies has made the characterisation of SNP markers in wheat relatively cheap and straightforward. There is a growing need for the widespread dissemination of this information to plant breeders. Description CerealsDB is an online resource containing a range of genomic datasets for wheat (Triticum aestivum that will assist plant breeders and scientists to select the most appropriate markers for marker assisted selection. CerealsDB includes a database which currently contains in excess of 100,000 putative varietal SNPs, of which several thousand have been experimentally validated. In addition, CerealsDB contains databases for DArT markers and EST sequences, and links to a draft genome sequence for the wheat variety Chinese Spring. Conclusion CerealsDB is an open access website that is rapidly becoming an invaluable resource within the wheat research and plant breeding communities.

The effects of dietary vitamin A supplementation on reproductive performance, liver function, fat-soluble vitamin retention, and immune response were studied in laying broiler breeders. In the first phase of the experiment, 1,120 Ross-308 broiler breeder hens were fed a diet of corn and soybean meal supplemented with 5,000 to 35,000 IU/kg vitamin A (retinyl acetate) for 20 weeks. In the second phase, 384 Ross-308 broiler breeder hens were fed the same diet supplemented with 5,000 to 135,000 IU/kg vitamin A (retinyl acetate) for 24 weeks. The hens' reproductive performance, the concentrations of vitamins A and E in liver and egg yolk, liver function, mRNA expression of vitamin D receptor in duodenal mucosa, antibody titers against Newcastle disease virus vaccine, and T-cell proliferation responses were evaluated. Supplementation of vitamin A at levels up to and including 35,000 IU/kg did not affect reproductive performance and quadratically affected antibody titer to Newcastle disease virus vaccine (pvitamin A linearly increased vitamin A concentration in liver and yolk and linearly decreased α-, γ-, and total tocopherol concentration in yolk (pvitamin A at doses of 45,000 IU/kg and above significantly decreased egg weight, yolk color, eggshell thickness and strength, and reproductive performance. Dietary vitamin A significantly increased mRNA expression of vitamin D receptor in duodenal mucosa (pvitamin A at 135,000 IU/kg decreased the proliferation of peripheral blood lymphocytes (pvitamin A for broiler breeders appears to be 35,000 IU/kg, as excessive supplementation has been shown to impair liver function, reproductive performance, and immune response.

The effects of broiler breeder age (26, 28, and 30 wk) and incubator relative humidity (43, 53, and 63% RH) on yolk sac weight and composition in broiler hatching eggs between 16 and 19 d of incubation were evaluated. Percentage yolk sac weight was reduced in eggs from the youngest (26 wk) breeder hens and in eggs incubated at 53% RH. Percentage yolk moisture, in eggs from the youngest hens, was lowest at 16 d and was highest at 19 d, and percentage yolk lipid was highest at 16 and 17 d of incubation in eggs from 30-wk-old hens. Percentage yolk lipid content was higher at 63% RH compared with 53% RH in eggs from 26-wk-old breeders but was lower in eggs incubated at a 43% RH compared with 53 and 63% RH from 30-wk-old breeders. Yolk stearic and arachidonic acid concentrations were higher and myristic acid concentration was lower in eggs from the 26-wk-old hens. Conversely, the highest yolk concentrations of linolenic and palmitoleic acids occurred in eggs from 30- and 28-wk-old breeders, respectively. At 16, 17, 18, and 19 d of incubation, yolk oleic acid concentrations were significantly, but variably, affected by breeder age, whereas linoleic acid concentration was highest in 26-wk-old breeders only at 19 d. Palmitic acid concentration at 17 d was lower in eggs incubated at 53% RH compared with 43 and 63% RH. Rate of yolk uptake from the yolk sac by embryos may be increased by incubating eggs at 53% RH, and the effects of changes in RH between 43 and 63% on yolk lipid content are influenced by breeder age.

The National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) Poultry '04 study was conducted to better describe non-commercial United States poultry populations, in particular, backyard and gamefowl breeder flocks. To estimate the density of backyard flocks in close proximity to commercial operations, a sample of 350 commercial poultry operations in 18 top poultry producing states was selected from the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) list of poultry operations. A 1 mile radius circle was drawn around each operation, and door-to-door canvassing was conducted within these circles to enumerate premises with all species of birds. Premises with backyard poultry flocks completed a questionnaire focusing on bird health, bird movement, and biosecurity practices. A similar questionnaire, provided in both English and Spanish, was mailed to all members of State affiliates of the United Gamefowl Breeders Association (UGBA) as well as to members of State associations not affiliated with UGBA. An average of 29.4 residences was found within a 1 mile radius of commercial operations, of which 1.9 residences per circle had backyard poultry flocks. Gamefowl breeder flocks were larger, used more health care and biosecurity practices, and moved birds more frequently compared to backyard flocks.

The development of a Water Cooled Ceramic Breeder (WCCB) Test Blanket Module (TBM) is being performed as one of the most important steps toward DEMO blanket in Japan. For the TBM testing and evaluation toward DEMO blanket, the module fabrication technology development by a candidate structural material, reduced activation martensitic/ferritic steel, F82H, is one of the most critical items from the viewpoint of realization of TBM testing in ITER. In Japan, fabrication of a real scale first wall, side walls, a breeder pebble bed box and assembling of the first wall and side walls have succeeded. Recently, the real scale partial mockup of the back wall was fabricated. The fabrication procedure of the back wall, whose thickness is up to 90 mm, was confirmed toward the fabrication of the real scale back wall by F82H. Important key technologies are almost clarified for the fabrication of the real scale TBM module mockup. From the view point of testing and evaluation, development of the technology of the blanket tritium recovery, development of advanced breeder and multiplier pebbles and the development of the blanket neutronics measurement technology are also performed. Also, tritium production and recovery test using D-T neutron in the Fusion Neutronics Source (FNS) facility has been started as the verification test of tritium production performance. This paper overviews the recent achievements of the development of the WCCB TBM in Japan.

We report on the development of the HEC2 (High Energy Compression and Current) charge breeder, a possible high performance successor to REXEBIS at ISOLDE. The new breeder would match the performance of the HIE-ISOLDE linac upgrade and make full use of the possible installation of a storage ring at ISOLDE (the TSR@ISOLDE initiative [1]). Dictated by ion beam acceptance and capacity requirements, the breeder features a 2-3.5 A electron beam. In many cases very high charge states, including bare ions up to Z=70 and Li/Na-like up to Z=92 could be requested for experiments in the storage ring, therefore, electron beam energies up to 150 keV are required. The electron-beam current density needed for producing ions with such high charge states at an injection rate into TSR of 0.5-1 Hz is between 10 and 20 kA/cm2, which agrees with the current density needed to produce A/q<4.5 ions for the HIE-ISOLDE linac with a maximum repetition rate of 100 Hz. The first operation of a prototype electron gun with a pulsed elect...

The authors have made a tritium release model to represent the release behavior of bred tritium from solid breeder materials using a series of studies. It has been observed that a large amount of adsorbed water and water produced by water formation reaction are released to the purge gas even though dry purge gas with hydrogen is introduced to solid breeder materials. According to our tritium release model, the presence of water in the purge gas and surface water on the material has a large effect on the tritium release behavior. In this study, the authors quantified the amount of adsorbed water and the capacity of the water formation reaction for various solid breeder materials (Li{sub 2}TiO{sub 3}, Li{sub 4}SiO{sub 4}, Li{sub 2}ZrO{sub 3}, LiAlO{sub 2}). The effect of surface water on the chemical form of tritium released from the LiAlO{sub 2} blanket is also discussed in this study. (authors)

The optimization of the efficiency of an ECR-based charge breeder is a twofold task: efforts must be paid to maximize the capture of the injected 1+ ions by the confined plasma and to produce high charge states to allow post-acceleration at high energies. Both tasks must be faced by studying in detail the electrons heating dynamics, influenced by the microwave-to-plasma coupling mechanism. Numerical simulations are a powerful tools for obtaining quantitative information about the wave-to-plasma interaction process: this paper presents a numerical study of the microwaves propagation and absorption inside the plasma chamber of the PHOENIX charge breeder, which the selective production of exotic species project, under construction at Legnaro National Laboratories, will adopt as charge breeder. Calculations were carried out with a commercial 3D FEM solver: first, all the resonant frequencies were determined by considering a simplified plasma chamber; then, the realistic geometry was taken into account, including a cold plasma model of increasing complexity. The results gave important information about the power absorption and losses and will allow the improvement of the plasma model to be used in a refined step of calculation reproducing the breeding process itself.

The results of research into the environmental conditions in the regions of location of the pressurized water reactor WWR-K, fast neutron breeder BN-350 and on the territory of the Semipalatinsk Test Site are represented. The effects of the exposure to aerosol emissions from WWR-K and BN-350 reactors on the environment are summarized. We present some arguments in favor of the safe operation of fission reactors in compliance with the rules and norms of nuclear and radiation protection and the efficient disposal of radioactive waste on the territory of the Republic.

A nuclear reactor having a flattened reactor activity curve across the reactor includes fuel extending over a lesser portion of the fuel channels in the central portion of the reactor than in the remainder of the reactor.

Rubber bearings with thick rubber layers to be used for 3-dimensional base isolation system are developed. Design parameters of the rubber bearings are determined to effectively reduce both horizontal and vertical seismic loads especially for equipment in the system; horizontal natural period and vertical natural frequency of the system supported by the rubber bearings are 3 sec. and 3 Hz, respectively. Furthermore, primary and secondary shape factors and design vertical stress of the rubber bearings are determined to give stable mechanical properties. Using scale models of the rubber bearings, static, dynamic and failure tests were carried out to evaluate the mechanical characteristics and the performance of the rubber bearings. From these tests, it is shown that the developed rubber bearings are efficient as 3-dimensional base isolation device. (author)

An FBR closed fuel cycle involves recycling of the discharge fuel, after reprocessing and refabrication, to utilize the unburnt fuel remains and the freshly bred ﬁssile material. Our previous study in this regard for the PFBR indicated a comfortable feasibility of multiple recycling with selfsufﬁciency. In the present work, more reﬁned estimations are done using the most recent nuclear data, viz. ENDF/B-VII.0, and with the most recent speciﬁcation of the fuel composition. Among others, this paper brings out the importance of taking into account the energy self-shielding effects in the cross-section averages used in the study. While self-shielded averages lead to realistic predictions, unshielded averages signiﬁcantly overpredict breeding in the blankets and underpredict loss in the cores.

The low aspect ration tokamak is proposed for the driver of a transmutation reactor.The main parameters of the reactor core,neutronic analysis of the blanket are given>the neutron wall loading can be lowered from the magnitude order of 1 MW/m2 to 0.5MW/m2 which is much easier to reach in the near future,and the transmutation efficiency (fission/absorption ratio)is raised further.The blanket power density is about 200MW/m3 which is not difficult to deal with.The key components such as diverter and center conductor post are also designed and compared with conventional TOkamak,Finally,by comparison with the other drivers such as FBR,PWR and accelerator,it can be anticipated that the low aspect ratio transmutation reactor would be one way of fusion energy applications in the near future.

Overall objective of this work is to provide NRC a comprehensive data base essential to (1) defining key safety issues, (2) understanding risk-significant accident sequences, (3) developing and verifying models used in safety assessments, and (4) assuring the public that power reactor systems will not be licensed and placed in commercial service in the United States without appropriate consideration being given to their effects on health and safety. This report describes progress in a number of activities dealing with current safety issues relevant to both light water and breederreactors. The work includes a broad range of experiments to simulate accidental conditions to provide the required data base to understand important accident sequences and to serve as a basis for development and verification of the complex computer simulation models and codes used in accident analysis and licensing reviews. Such a program must include the development of analytical models, verified by experiment, which can be used to predict reactor and safety system performance under a broad variety of abnormal conditions. Current major emphasis is focused on providing information to NRC relevant to (1) its deliberations and decisions dealing with severe LWR accidents, and (2) its safety evaluation of the proposed Clinch River BreederReactor.

The world scientific community is presently engaged in one of the toughest technological tasks of the current century, namely, exploitation of nuclear fusion in a controlled manner for the benefit of mankind. Scientific feasibility of controlled fusion of the light elements in plasma under magnetic confinement has already been proven. International efforts in a coordinated and co-operative manner are presently being made to build ITER - the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor - to test, in this first step, the concept of 'Tokamak' for net fusion energy production. To exploit this new developing option of making energy available through the route of fusion, India too embarked on a robust fusion programme under which we now have a working tokamak - the Aditya and a steady state tokamak (SST-1), which is on the verge of functioning. The programme envisages further development in terms of making SST-2 followed by a DEMO and finally the fusion power reactor. Further, with the participation of India in the ITER program in 2005, and recent allocation of half - a - port in ITER for placing our Lead - Lithium Ceramic Breeder (LLCB) based Test Blanket Module (TBM), meant basically for breeding tritium and extracting high grade heat, the need to understand and address issues related to materials for these complex systems has become all the more necessary. Also, it is obvious that with increasing power from the SST stages to DEMO and further to PROTOTYPE, the increasing demands on performance of materials would necessitate discovery and development of new materials. Because of the 14.1 MeV neutrons that are generated in the D+T reaction exploited in a tokamak, the materials, especially those employed for the construction of the first wall, the diverter and the blanket segments, suffer crippling damage due to the high He/dpa ratios that result due to the high energy of the neutrons. To meet this challenge, the materials that need to be developed for the tokamaks

KALIMER has three different DHR systems: two non-safety grade systems and one safety grade system. The non-safety grade systems are an IRACS (Intermediate Reactor Auxiliary Cooling System) and a steam/feedwater system. The safety grade system is a PDRC (Passive Decay Heat Removal Circuit). In case of the foreign reactor designs, ABTR (Advanced Burner Test Reactor) has a DRACS (Direct Reactor Auxiliary Cooling System), a PFBR (Indian Prototype Fast BreederReactor) has an SGDHRS (Safety Grade Decay Heat Removal System), and an EFR (European Fast Reactor) has DRC (Direct Reactor Cooling). Those designs have advantage on relatively high decay heat removal capacity. However, larger vessel size due to subsidiary in-vessel structure and possible accident propagation to reactor induced by sodium fire. In this paper, an ex-vessel thermosyphon design was proposed for the removal of decay heat for an iSFR. The proposed ex-vessel thermosyphon was designed to remove decay heat in both transient cases and BDBA cases, such as vessel failure. Proper working fluid was selected based on thermodynamic properties and chemical stability. Mercury was chosen as the working fluid, and SUS 314 was used for the corresponding structure material. Possible chemical reactions and adverse effects from using the thermosyphon were inherently eliminated by the system layout. A model for a high-temperature thermosyphon and numerical algorithms were used for the analysis. As a result of the simulation, the thermosyphon design was optimized, and it showed sufficient DHR performance to maintain core integrity.

The Lewis Research Center of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration proposes to build a nuclear research reactor which will be located in the Plum Brook Ordnance Works near Sandusky, Ohio. The purpose of this report is to inform the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards of the U. S. Atomic Energy Commission in regard to the design Lq of the reactor facility, the characteristics of the site, and the hazards of operation at this location. The purpose of this research reactor is to make pumped loop studies of aircraft reactor fuel elements and other reactorcomponents, radiation effects studies on aircraft reactor materials and equipment, shielding studies, and nuclear and solid state physics experiments. The reactor is light water cooled and moderated of the MTR-type with a primary beryllium reflector and a secondary water reflector. The core initially will be a 3 by 9 array of MTR-type fuel elements and is designed for operation up to a power of 60 megawatts. The reactor facility is described in general terms. This is followed by a discussion of the nuclear characteristics and performance of the reactor. Then details of the reactor control system are discussed. A summary of the site characteristics is then presented followed by a discussion of the larger type of experiments which may eventually be operated in this facility. The considerations for normal operation are concluded with a proposed method of handling fuel elements and radioactive wastes. The potential hazards involved with failures or malfunctions of this facility are considered in some detail. These are examined first from the standpoint of preventing them or minimizing their effects and second from the standpoint of what effect they might have on the reactor facility staff and the surrounding population. The most essential feature of the design for location at the proposed site is containment of the maximum credible accident.

Full Text Available Our previous studies on water cooled thorium breederreactor based on matured pressurized water reactor (PWR plant technology concluded that reduced moderated core by arranging fuel pins in a triangular tight lattice array and using heavy water as coolant is appropriate for achieving better breeding performance and higher burn-up simultaneously [1–6]. One optimum core that produces 3.5 GW thermal energy using Th-233U oxide fuel shows a breeding ratio of 1.07 and averaged burn-up of about 80 GWd/t with long cycle length of 1300 days. The moderator to fuel volume ratio is 0.6 and required enrichment of 233U for the fresh fuel is about 7%. The coolant reactivity coefficient is negative during all cycles despite it being a large scale breederreactor. In order to introduce this sustainable thorium reactor, three-step deployment scenario, with intermediate transition phase between current light water reactor (LWR phase and future sustainer phase, is proposed. Both in transition phase and sustainer phase, almost the same core design can be applicable only by changing fissile materials mixed with thorium from plutonium to 233U with slight modification in the fuel assembly design. Assuming total capacity of 60 GWe in current LWR phase and reprocessing capacity of 800 ton/y with further extensions to 1600 ton/y, all LWRs will be replaced by heavy water cooled thorium reactors within about one century then thorium reactors will be kept operational owing to its potential to sustain fissile fuels while reprocessing all spent fuels until exhaustion of massive thorium resource.

The gel-sphere-pac fuel fabrication option was evaluated for its possible application to commercial scale fuel fabrication for 19 fuel element designs that use oxide fuel in metal clad rods. The dry gel spheres are prepared at the reprocessing plant and are then calcined, sintered, inspected, and loaded into fuel rods and packed by low-energy vibration. A fuel smear density of 83 to 88% theoretical can be obtained. All fuel fabrication process steps were defined and evaluated from fuel receiving to finished fuel element shipping. The evaluation also covers the feasibility of the process, the current status of technology, estimates of the required time and cost to develop the technology to commercial status, and the safety and licensability of commercial scale plants. The primary evaluation was for a Light-Water Reactor fuel element containing (U,Pu)O/sub 2/ fuel. The other 18 fuel element types - 3 for Light-Water Reactors, 1 for a Heavy-Water Reactor, 1 for a Gas-Cooled Fast Reactor, 7 for Liquid-Metal-Cooled Fast BreederReactors, and 3 pairs for Light-Water Prebreeder and BreederReactors - were compared with the Light-Water Reactor. The gel-sphere-pac option was found applicable to 17 of the 19 element types; the characteristics of a commercial scale plant were defined for these for making cost estimates for such plants. The evaluation clearly shows the gel-sphere-pac process to be a viable fuel fabrication option. Estimates indicate a significant potential fabrication cost advantage for the gel-sphere-pac process if a remotely operated and remotely maintained fuel fabrication plant is required.

The interest to the high converter or in the breeder is rising as the research and the development of the light water-type nuclear reactor in future. A study session about the undermoderated spectrum reactor of the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI) sponsorship was held in March, 1998 4, on the 5th. This report is the contents of the study session. The study session began with the basis lecture to entitle to be `The expectations to the undermoderated core study` almost. Next, the review of the high conversion-type core study about PWR and BWR was reported. As the undermoderated spectrum MOX core study, the latest situation of (1) the development of the supercritical pressure water reactor, (2) the development of RBWR, (3) the development of the advanced fuel cycle by BWR and (4) the development of the pressurized water-type breeder were reported from the university and the maker. As also the study present situation and the plan in future in JAERI, there was an explanation about the design study of the undermoderated spectrum core and the actinide research facility. The panel discussion lastly, to entitle to be `Undermoderated MOX core research and development of the future and the technical issues` was done. There was an opinion about the way of carrying forward concerned research and development, the acceptability of the society, the view of the future, the cooperation of the electric power or the desire to JAERI and there was wide inquiry replying. The 9 of the presented papers are indexed individually. (J.P.N.)

The Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) under development by Argonne National Laboratory uses metallic fuels instead of ceramics. This allows electrorefining of spent fuels and presents opportunities for recycling minor actinide elements. Four minor actinides ({sup 237}Np, {sup 240}Pu, {sup 241}Am, and {sup 243}Am) determine the waste storage requirements of spent fuel from all types of fission reactors. These nuclides behave the same as uranium and other plutonium isotopes in electrorefining, so they can be recycled back to the reactor without elaborate chemical processing. An experiment has been designed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the high-energy neutron spectra of the IFR in consuming these four nuclides and plutonium. Eighteen sets of seven actinide and five light metal targets have been selected for ten day exposure in the Experimental BreederReactor-2 which serves as a prototype of the IFR. Post-irradiation analyses of the exposed targets by gamma, alpha, and mass spectroscopy are used to determine nuclear reaction-rates and neutron spectra. These experimental data increase the authors` confidence in their ability to predict reaction rates in candidate IFR designs using a variety of neutron transport and diffusion programs.

The unification of elastomeric sealing applications of Indian nuclear reactors based on a few qualified fluoroelastomer/perfluoroelastomer compounds and standardized approaches for finite element analysis (FEA) based design, manufacturing process and antifriction coatings is discussed. It is shown that the advance polymer architecture based Viton{sup Registered-Sign} formulation developed for inflatable seals of 500 MWe Prototype Fast BreederReactor (PFBR) and its four basic variations can encompass other sealing applications of PFBR with minimum additional efforts on development and validation. Changing the blend ratio of Viton{sup Registered-Sign} GBL 200S and 600S in inflatable seal formulation could extend its use to Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs). The higher operating temperature of Advanced Heavy Water Reactor (AHWR) seals expands the choice to perfluoroelastomers. FEA based on plane-strain/axisymmetric modeling (with Mooney-Rivlin as the basic constitutive model), seal manufacture by cold feed extrusion and injection molding as well as plasma Teflon-like coating belonging to two variations obtained from the development of inflatable seals provide the necessary standardization for unification. The gains in simplification of design, development and operation of seals along with the enhancements of safety and reliability are expected to be substantial.

The Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) has been proposed as a viable system in which to close the fuel cycle in a manner consistent with markedly expanding the global role of nuclear power while significantly reducing proliferation risks. A key part of this system relies on the development of actinide transmutation, which can only be effectively accomplished in a fast-spectrum reactor. The fundamental physics for fast reactors is well established. However, to achieve higher standards of safety and reliability, operate with longer intervals between outages, and achieve high operating capacity factors, new instrumentation and on-line monitoring capabilities will be required--during both fabrication and operation. Since the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) and Experimental BreederReactor – II (EBR-II) reactors were operational in the USA, there have been major advances in instrumentation, not the least being the move to digital systems. Some specific capabilities have been developed outside the USA, but new or at least re-established capabilities will be required. In many cases the only available information is in reports and papers. New and improved sensors and instrumentation will be required. Advanced instrumentation has been developed for high-temperature/high-flux conditions in some cases, but most of the original researchers and manufacturers are retired or no longer in business.

Effects of low-density broiler breeder diets on offspring performance and mortality were studied using 2,100 female and 210 male Cobb 500 breeders. Breeder treatments involved 4 experimental groups and a control group with normal density diets (ND, 2,600 kcal of AME/kg during rearing and 2,800 kcal of AME/kg during laying). In treatment 2, nutrient densities were decreased by 12% (LD12) and 11% (LD11) during the rearing and laying periods, respectively, whereas in treatment 3, nutrient densities were decreased by 23% (LD23) and 21% (LD21) during the rearing and laying periods, respectively. The nutrient density in these treatments was decreased through inclusion of palm kernel meal, wheat bran, wheat gluten feed, and sunflower seed meal in the diets. Treatment 4 included diets with the same nutrient densities as in treatment 2 but included oats and sugar beet pulp (LD12(OP) and LD11(OP)). In treatment 5, the same low-density diet was given to the breeders as in treatment 2 during the rearing period, but it was followed by a normal density diet during the laying period (LD12-ND). Treatments were applied from 4 to 60 wk of age. On low-density diets, offspring showed an increased 1-d-old weight. As compared with offspring of breeders that received ND, the d 38 live weight of chickens from 29-wk-old breeders fed LD11 was improved. Mortality was reduced in offspring from 60-wk-old parent stock given low-density diets. The IgM titers in 35-d-old offspring from eggs with a lower-than-average weight were reduced when 29-wk-old broiler breeders were fed low-density diets. In offspring from eggs with a higher-than-average weight from 60-wk-old parent stock given LD11 or LD21 diets, IgM titers were higher compared with ND. It was concluded that low-density broiler breeder diets can improve offspring growth rates, reduce mortality, and reduce or increase immune responses, depending on breeder age and egg weight.

Highlights: • The recycling of advanced breeder pebbles without a deterioration of the material properties is possible using a melt-based process. • The only accumulation of impurities upon reprocessing, results from the platinum crucible alloy used for processing. • It is possible to replenish burnt-up lithium by additions of LiOH·H{sub 2}O to the melt during reprocessing. - Abstract: The recycling of tritium breeding materials will be necessary for any future use of nuclear fusion energy due to economical as well as ecological considerations. In the case of the solid breeder blanket concept, the ceramic pebble beds that are intended for the generation of tritium will eventually need to be restored due to depleted lithium levels as well as due to fractured pebbles, which will cause a deterioration of the pebble bed properties. It is proposed that the pebbles, which are fabricated using a melt-based process, are recycled using the same initial process, by replenishing the lithium levels and reforming the pebbles at the same time. To prove this recycling scheme, advanced ceramic pebbles were fabricated and then re-melted multiple times to prove that the reprocessing did not have any negative effect on the pebble properties and secondly, pebbles were produced with a simulated lithium burn-up and subsequently replenished by additions of LiOH to the melt. It was shown that the re-melting and lithium re-enrichment had no effect on the pebble properties, demonstrating that a melt-based process is suitable for recycling used breeder pebbles.

Since early fertility decline is a permanent problem of broiler breeders, the aim of this study was to test the effects of various sex ratios, spiking strategies and additional artificial inseminations (AI) on their breeding efficiency. Six breeder flocks were analysed during the whole reproduction cycle. In Flock A the sex ratio was maintained at 10% during the whole cycle (control), while in Flock B the number of males was increased to a final ratio of 16%. In Flocks C (technological control), D, E and F the ratio of males was gradually decreased from 10% to 6.5% until the end of the cycle. Moreover, at the age of 44 weeks in Flocks D and E 50 and 100% of cockerels were replaced by young ones, respectively, while in Flock F additional artificial inseminations were applied in the second half of the reproduction cycle. The increase of sperm transport was successful only in Groups B (increase in male numbers) and D (50% replacement of old cockerels with young ones); however, it was not sufficient for increasing the fertility rates in either group. Nor did additional artificial inseminations (Flock F) have an effect on fertility. As a conclusion, it can be established that increasing the sperm count in the hens' oviducts in any way could not improve fertility in the last third of the production cycle. The results also suggest that the expensive and labour-intensive spiking technique used in broiler breeder management is useless. The prime factor responsible for the shortened persistence of fertility may be the reduced ability of the female oviduct to accept and store sperm.

Full Text Available Abstract Background Broiler breeders fed ad libitum are characterised by multiple ovulation, which leads to poor shell quality and egg production. Multiple ovulation is controlled by food restriction in commercial flocks. However, the level of food restriction raises welfare concerns, including that of severe hunger. Reducing the rate of multiple ovulation by genetic selection would facilitate progress towards developing a growth profile for optimum animal welfare. Results The study utilised 3 models of ovarian follicle development; laying hens fed ad libitum (experiment 2 and broiler breeders fed ad libitum or a restricted diet (experiments 1 & 3. This allowed us to investigate gene candidates for follicular development by comparing normal, abnormal and “controlled” follicle hierarchies at different stages of development. Several candidate genes for multiple ovulation were identified by combining microarray analysis of restricted vs. ad libitum feeding, literature searches and QPCR expression profiling throughout follicle development. Three candidate genes were confirmed by QPCR as showing significant differential expression between restricted and ad libitum feeding: FSHR, GDF9 and PDGFRL. PDGFRL, a candidate for steroidogenesis, showed significantly up-regulated expression in 6–8 mm follicles of ad libitum fed broiler breeders (P = 0.016, the period at which follicle recruitment occurs. Conclusions Gene candidates have been identified and evidence provided to support a possible role in regulation of ovarian function and follicle number. Further characterisation of these genes will be required to assess their potential for inclusion into breeding programmes to improve the regulation of follicle selection and reduce the need for feed restriction.

Full Text Available A project was planned to study some physical characteristics of oestrus mucus and conception rates in repeat breeder buffaloes after different treatments. For this purpose 60 adult buffaloes with history of repeat breeding were used. Mucus samples from these animals were collected during heat and studied for colour, consistence, pH and fern pattern. Experimental buffaloes were randomly divided into four equal groups A, B, C and D. In buffa1oes of group A, GnRH was given immediately after insemination. In group B antibiotic infusion was given 24 hr after insemination. In animals of group C, insemination was done in the uterine horn ipsilateral to ovary bearing mature graafian follicle. Animals of group D were inseminated in the uterine body and served as control. The results indicated that oestrus mucus was transparent in 55.0%, translucent in 38.33% and whitish in 6.67% buffaloes. The consistency of mucus was viscous in 38.33%, thin in 50.0% and thick in, 11.67% repeat breeder buffaloes. Mean pH of oestrus mucus was 7.49 ± 0.35. Fren pattern was very characteristic in 6.67% characteristic in 48.33% and less characteristic in 45.0% buffaloes. The conception rates in animals of group B were significantly higher ( P<0.05 than those of group A, C or D; the differences in conception rates among buffaloes of the latter three groups were non significant. It was concluded that post-insemination antibiotic infusion may be used to improve conception rates in repeat breeder buffaloes.

We report on the development of the HEC{sup 2} (High Energy Compression and Current) charge breeder, a possible high performance successor to REXEBIS at ISOLDE. The new breeder would match the performance of the HIE-ISOLDE linac upgrade and make full use of the possible installation of a storage ring at ISOLDE (the TSR@ISOLDE initiative [1]). Dictated by ion beam acceptance and capacity requirements, the breeder features a 2–3.5 A electron beam. In many cases very high charge states, including bare ions up to Z=70 and Li/Na-like up to Z=92 could be requested for experiments in the storage ring, therefore, electron beam energies up to 150 keV are required. The electron-beam current density needed for producing ions with such high charge states at an injection rate into TSR of 0.5–1 Hz is between 10 and 20 kA/cm{sup 2}, which agrees with the current density needed to produce A/q<4.5 ions for the HIE-ISOLDE linac with a maximum repetition rate of 100 Hz. The first operation of a prototype electron gun with a pulsed electron beam of 1.5 A and 30 keV was demonstrated in a joint experiment with BNL [2]. In addition, we report on further development aiming to achieve CW operation of an electron beam having a geometrical transverse ion-acceptance matching the injection of 1{sup +} ions (11.5 μm), and an emittance/energy spread of the extracted ion beam matching the downstream mass separator and RFQ (0.08 μm normalized / ± 1%)

This paper examines the properties of sequential probability ratio tests (SPRT's) and the application of these tests to nuclear power reactor operation. Recently SPRT's have been applied to delayed-neutron (DN) signal data analysis using actual reactor data from the Experimental BreederReactor-II, which is operated by Argonne National Laboratory. The implementation of this research as part of an expert system is described. Mathematical properties of the SPRT are investigated, and theoretical results are validated with tests that use DN-signal data taken from the EBR-II in Idaho. Variations of the basic SPRT and applications to general signal validation are also explored. 16 refs., 3 figs.

The beginning of a new era of nuclear reactor requires technological advances and also multiples studies. The European Liquid metal cooled Fast breederReactor is one of the designs for the generation IV nuclear reactor, selected by ENEA. A pioneer of its time, ELFR needs a demonstrator in order to prove the feasibility of this project and to acquire more data and experience in operating a LFR. For this reason the ALFRED project was started and it is expected to be under operation by the year 2030. This paper has the objective of analyzing the neutronic and thermohydraulics of the ALFRED core by the means of a coupled scheme. The selected code for neutronic simulation is MCNP and the selected code for thermohydraulics is ANSYS.

This study evaluated the effect of different dietary vitamin E levels and different selenium sources on the productive and reproductive performance of broiler breeders. In total 640 females and 64 males between 22 and 52 weeks old were studied. A completely randomized experimental design in factorial arrangement, with 4 treatments of 8 replicates with 20 females and 2 males each, was applied. Treatments consisted of 2 vitamin E levels (30 and 120 mg/kg) and two selenium sources (sodium selenite and zinc-L-selenomethionine). Egg production (rate of lay and eggs per breeder), egg characteristics (egg, yolk, eggshell, and albumen weights), fertility, incubation responses (egg weight loss during incubation, hatchability, and hatching window), and hatchling characteristics (weight and yield) were evaluated. There was no influence of dietary vitamin E levels or selenium sources on egg production (P > 0.05). Mature breeders (47 weeks old) fed zinc-L-selenomethionine and 120 mg vitamin E/kg feed produced heavier eggs and albumen. Hatchability of the eggs of breeders fed 120 mg vitamin E/kg feed was higher than breeders fed 30 mg vitamin at 29 wks. The dietary inclusion of organic selenium also promoted heavier hatchling weight until egg production peak (33 wk), but did not influence hatchling quality or hatching window. It was concluded that the dietary supplementation of zinc-L-selenomethione and vitamin E (120 mg/kg feed) could be used to improve egg characteristics and incubation response.

diets compared to feed A was detectable in the intestinal contents, with high fibre feed staying longer in the digestive system. Birds fed fibre diets displayed more dustbathing and less stereotypic behaviour. Egg production did not differ between the diet treatments. The onset of lay was delayed......, but the hens reached maximum lay sooner than industry guidelines indicates. The results show that high fibre diets prolong the passage of feed and reduce stereotypic behaviour, indicating an improvement in the well-being of the birds, who may experience less hunger than commercially fed broiler breeders. Key...

The work performed was primarily concerned with the preparation of the experiments to be performed on the Fast Breeder Blanket Facility (FBBF) and the corresponding analysis. The work on the experimental program has been started. Since experiments are subject to safety constraints, a safety investigation program (for a hypothetically flooded facility) is reported. The neutronics part of the preanalysis is also reported. The testing of the first configuration has largely been prepared. The identification of the experiment need has been worked on extensively, largely through unsponsored research which had been started before the contract became effective. The work done in this area by other groups is being reviewed.

Sexually mature commercial broiler breeder pullets were housed singly in laying cages or in floor pens and mated by means of artificial insemination alone, natural mating and natural mating supplemented by artificial insemination. The best fertility, was obtained by the combination method where natural mating was supplemented with artificial inseminations of 0.05 or 0.025 ml of undiluted pooled semen twice a week. Other reproductive traits including percent hatch of fertile eggs and chicks per hen were not affected by method of mating.

1. A 10-week experiment was conducted with Ross 308 broiler breeder chickens in cages to evaluate the influence of organic and inorganic sources of selenium (Se) supplementation. A total of 600 birds at 29 weeks of age were divided at random into 4 groups and fed on a maize-soya basal diet supplemented with different forms of Se. 2. The first (control) group was given the basal diet without Se supplementation, whereas the second, third and fourth groups were given, respectively, the basal diet with 0.3 mg/kg of inorganic Se in the form of sodium selenite or 0.3 and 0.5 mg/kg of organic Se in the form of Se enriched yeast (Se-yeast). 3. The experiment was carried out for 10 weeks to compare and evaluate the influence of Se supplementation on breeder performance, egg production, hatchability and the quality of eggs. Samples were collected for analysis at weeks 0, 5 and 10 of the experimental period. 4. At the end of the experiment (39 weeks), there was a reduction in mortality in breeders given diets supplemented with 0.5 mg/kg of Se-yeast. Supplementation of feed with 0.5 mg/kg organic Se increased egg production, percentage of settable eggs and hatchability. 5. Selenium supplementation increased egg weight and specific gravity compared to the control diet. However, no significant variation was found in albumen or yolk protein content at the end of week 10. 6. Selenium accumulation and glutathione peroxidase (GSHPx) activity were lower in the egg albumen and yolk of control compared with Se-supplemented treatments. Se accumulation and GSHPx activity were higher in the group given 0.3 mg/kg organic compared to 0.3 mg/kg of inorganic Se. 7. The results favour the use of Se-yeast at the dose of 0.5 mg/kg in broiler breeder diets for better productivity of eggs, settable eggs, hatchability and higher Se accumulation and antioxidant status in eggs.

Full Text Available Calcium is an important mineral in bone development and egg shell formation of broiler breeder hens. A study was undertaken to further examine the effect of dietary calcium intake on calcium retention of broiler breeder hens and to investigate the relationship between calcium retention and egg characteristics. Ninety broiler breeder hens were obtained from a previous study and allocated to three dietary treatments, 1.5, 2.5 and 3.5% calcium level. Feeds were isocaloric and isonitrogenous but differed only in calcium and phosphorus contents. Birds were fed and caged individually with metal trays placed below cages for excreta collection. Excreta samples (30 birds per treatment were collected for calcium and phosphorus determinations during a 7-day period at 3-weekly intervals, i.e., 27, 33, 36 and 42 weeks of age. Other parameters measured included calcium intake of hens, hen day production, egg mass, egg weight, shell weight, shell percentage, shell thickness, egg surface area, shell weight per unit surface area, total calcium retention, shell calcium excretion, shell calcium as a percentage of calcium intake and faecal calcium as percentage of calcium intake. These results showed that dietary calcium level had significant (P

Residual sodium is defined as sodium metal that remains behind in pipes, vessels, and tanks after the bulk sodium metal has been melted and drained from such components. The residual sodium has the same chemical properties as bulk sodium, and differs from bulk sodium only in the thickness of the sodium deposit. Typically, sodium is considered residual when the thickness of the deposit is less than 5-6 cm. This residual sodium must be removed or deactivated when a pipe, vessel, system, or entire reactor is permanently taken out of service, in order to make the component or system safer and/or to comply with decontamination and decomissioning regulations. As an alternative to the established residual sodium deactivation techniques (steam-and-nitrogen, wet vapor nitrogen, etc.), a technique involving the use of moisture and carbon dioxide has been developed. With this technique, sodium metal is converted into sodium bicarbonate by reacting it with humid carbon dioxide. Hydrogen is emitted as a by-product. This technique was first developed in the laboratory by exposing sodium samples to humidifed carbon dioxide under controlled conditions, and then demonstrated on a larger scale by treating residual sodium within the Experimental BreederReactor II (EBR-II) secondary cooling system, followed by the primary cooling system, respectively. The EBR-II facility is located at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) in southeastern Idaho, USA. This report is Part 2 of a two-part report. This second report provides a supplement to the first report and describes the application of the humdidified carbon dioxide technique ("carbonation") to the EBR-II primary tank, primary cover gas systems, and the intermediate heat exchanger. Future treatment plans are also provided.

1. A study was designed to investigate the comparative effect of supplementary vitamin E, vitamin C, probiotics and dietary crude protein concentration on semen traits and seminal plasma biochemical parameters in male broiler breeders after Zn-induced moulting. 2. A total of 180 male broiler breeders were induced to moult at 65 weeks of age by mixing ZnO in diet at the rate 3000 mg/kg of feed. After moulting, the males were divided into six groups that were given feed supplemented with: vitamin C (500 IU/kg), vitamin E (100 IU/kg), protein (140 g CP/kg), probiotics (50 mg/kg) and the combination of these components, while one group was kept as a control. Semen samples were collected weekly and semen volume, spermatozoa concentration, motility and dead spermatozoa percentage were determined. Seminal plasma was separated to determine the concentration of total antioxidant capacity (TAC), homocysteine, paraoxonase (PON1), arylesterase, ceruloplasmin, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activities. 3. Semen volume was significantly higher in the vitamin E and C groups compared to the control. Spermatozoa motility was higher in the vitamin E group and dead spermatozoa percentage was significantly lower in the vitamin C group compared with the control group. 4. Seminal plasma TAC was higher in the vitamin E group, homocysteine was lower in the vitamin C and E groups. PON1 was higher in the combination group. Arylesterase increased significantly in the vitamin C and combination groups over time. Seminal plasma AST was significantly lower in the vitamin C and E supplemented groups whereas ALT decreased significantly only in the vitamin E group compared with the control. Higher concentrations of ceruloplasmin were observed in the combination group compared with the other treatments. 5. It was concluded that additional vitamin E and C or their combination was the most potent nutrient treatment for improving the semen traits and

Starting from the Molten Salt BreederReactor project of Oak-Ridge, we have performed parametric studies in terms of safety coefficients, reprocessing requirements and breeding capabilities. In the frame of this major re-evaluation of the molten salt reactor (MSR), we have developed a new concept called Molten Salt Fast Reactor or MSFR, based on the Thorium fuel cycle and a fast neutron spectrum. This concept has been selected for further studies by the MSR steering committee of the Generation IV International Forum in 2009. Our reactor's studies of the MSFR concept rely on numerical simulations making use of the MCNP neutron transport code coupled with a code for materials evolution which resolves the Bateman's equations giving the population of each nucleus inside each part of the reactor at each moment. Because of MSR's fundamental characteristics compared to classical solid-fuelled reactors, the classical Bateman equations have to be modified by adding two terms representing the reprocessing capacities and the fertile or fissile alimentation. We have thus coupled neutronic and reprocessing simulation codes in a numerical tool used to calculate the extraction efficiencies of fission products, their location in the whole system (reactor and reprocessing unit) and radioprotection issues. (authors)

Highlights: • Enhanced heat transfer and friction characteristics of the FW inserted with screw blade is investigated. • The screw blade structure optimization was done on the screw pitch and diameter. • Decreasing screw pitch and increasing screw diameter could further enhance heat transfer accompanied with increasing flow resistance. • Evaluate the overall enhanced heat performance by using the PEC value. - Abstract: The Water Cooled Ceramic Breeder (WCCB) blanket based on Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) condition is one of the blanket candidates for Chinese Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR). The first wall (FW) which plays an important part in the blanket design must remove the high heat flux radiated from plasma and nuclear heat deposition on the structure in any operating conditions. In this paper, the characteristics of enhanced heat transfer and friction for the FW with the inserted screw blade are studied by the numerical method. After the comparison between the numerical and experimental results, the standard k–ε turbulent model is selected to do the numerical calculation. The numerical results show that the peak temperature of RAFM steel could be reduced by decreasing screw pitch or increasing screw diameter, while accompanied with ascending flow resistance. Besides, among all of the chosen calculation cases compared with the smooth channel, the maximum value of temperature reduction is 10 °C under the conditions of heat flux of 0.5 MW/m{sup 2} as well as screw pitch of 18 mm and screw diameter of 6 mm. The maximum increment ratio of the friction factor is 257% under the conditions of screw pitch of 10 mm and screw diameter of 4 mm. Furthermore, screw blade of 74 mm pitch and 4 mm diameter presents the highest overall performance evaluation criterion (PEC) value of 0.93 under Reynolds number of 270 000 conditions, and shows the best overall heat transfer enhancement performance.

The Reactor Physics and Department of SCK-CEN offers expertise in various areas of reactor physics, in particular in neutronics calculations, reactor dosimetry, reactor operation, reactor safety and control and non-destructive analysis on reactor fuel. This expertise is applied within the Reactor Physics and MYRRHA Research Department's own research projects in the VENUS critical facility, in the BR1 reactor and in the MYRRHA project (this project aims at designing a prototype Accelerator Driven System). Available expertise is also used in programmes external to the Department such as the reactor pressure steel vessel programme, the BR2 reactor dosimetry, and the preparation and interpretation of irradiation experiments. Progress and achievements in 1999 in the following areas are reported on: (1) investigations on the use of military plutonium in commercial power reactors; (2) neutron and gamma calculations performed for BR-2 and for other reactors; (3) the updating of neutron and gamma cross-section libraries; (4) the implementation of reactor codes; (6) the management of the UNIX workstations; and (6) fuel cycle studies.

A 2×2 factorial arrangement of treatments in randomized design was conducted to investigate the effect of different selenomethionine (SM) sources and levels on the productive performance of breeder hens and the Se distribution in the inclusion of eggs and serum and tissues of breeder hens and its offspring. A total of 480 Ling-Nan-Huang breeder hens, 48 weeks of age, were allocated to four treatments, each of which included three replicates of 40 hens. Pretreatment period was 2 weeks, and the experiment lasted 8 weeks. Two SM forms of DL-SM and L-SM were supplemented at 0.15 or 0.30 mg Se/kg into the basal diet. Results showed that the Se level of 0.15 mg/kg supplemented in the diet, compared to 0.30 mg/kg, significantly elevated the percentage of egg production (phatchability (pselenium distribution in egg inclusion, serum, and tissues.

The mismatch between power and flow under the transient condition of LMFBR (Liquid Metal cooled Fast BreederReactor) core results in thermal stratification in hot pool. Since the fluid of hot pool enters IHXs, the temperature distribution of hot pool can alter the overall system response, therefore three-dimensional analysis of thermo-hydraulic phenomena is necessary. In this study, the thermo-hydraulic phenomena under normal operating condition and unprotected transient condition of LMFBR is investigated using which is the three-dimensional analysis code, COMMIX-1AR/P. The basic input data is based on the design data of KALIMER-600, which is sodium-cooled fast breederreactor developed by KAERI. COMMIX-1AR/P code has not a reactivity model and the power and core flowrate must be supplied in the input data. In this study, results of SSC-K calculation is used. The temperature and velocity distributions are calculated and compared with those of SSC-K calculation results. The UTOF(Unprotected Loss Of Flow) accident is calculated using COMMIX-1AR/P and the temperature and velocity distributions in the total reactor core are calculated and the natural circulation mode under this transient condition is investigated.

Nuclear Reactors and Technology (NRT) announces on a monthly basis the current worldwide information available from the open literature on nuclear reactors and technology, including all aspects of power reactors, components and accessories, fuel elements, control systems, and materials. This publication contains the abstracts of DOE reports, journal articles, conference papers, patents, theses, and monographs added to the Energy Science and Technology Database (EDB) during the past month. Also included are US information obtained through acquisition programs or interagency agreements and international information obtained through the International Energy Agency's Energy Technology Data Exchange or government-to-government agreements. The digests in NRT and other citations to information on nuclear reactors back to 1948 are available for online searching and retrieval on EDB and Nuclear Science Abstracts (NSA) database. Current information, added daily to EDB, is available to DOE and its contractors through the DOE integrated Technical Information System. Customized profiles can be developed to provide current information to meet each user's needs.

Full Text Available In contrast to freshwater fish it is presumed that marine fish are unlikely to spawn with close relatives due to the dilution effect of large breeding populations and their propensity for movement and reproductive mixing. Inbreeding is therefore not typically a focal concern of marine fish management. We measured the effective number of breeders in 6 New York estuaries for winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus, a formerly abundant fish, using 11 microsatellite markers (6-56 alleles per locus. The effective number of breeders for 1-2 years was remarkably small, with point estimates ranging from 65-289 individuals. Excess homozygosity was detected at 10 loci in all bays (FIS = 0.169-0.283 and individuals exhibited high average internal relatedness (IR; mean = 0.226. These both indicate that inbreeding is very common in all bays, after testing for and ruling out alternative explanations such as technical and sampling artifacts. This study demonstrates that even historically common marine fish can be prone to inbreeding, a factor that should be considered in fisheries management and conservation plans.

Poultry and poultry products are commonly considered as the major vehicle of Campylobacter infection in humans worldwide. To reduce the number of human cases, the epidemiology of Campylobacter in poultry must be better understood. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to determine the distribution and genetic relatedness of Campylobacter in the Thai chicken production industry. During June to October 2012, entire broiler production processes (i.e., breeder flock, hatchery, broiler farm and slaughterhouse) of five broiler production chains were investigated chronologically. Representative isolates of C. jejuni from each production stage were characterized by flaA SVR sequencing and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Amongst 311 selected isolates, 29 flaA SVR alleles and 17 sequence types (STs) were identified. The common clonal complexes (CCs) found in this study were CC-45, CC-353, CC-354 and CC-574. C. jejuni isolated from breeders were distantly related to those isolated from broilers and chicken carcasses, while C. jejuni isolates from the slaughterhouse environment and meat products were similar to those isolated from broiler flocks. Genotypic identification of C. jejuni in slaughterhouses indicated that broilers were the main source of Campylobacter contamination of chicken meat during processing. To effectively reduce Campylobacter in poultry meat products, control and prevention strategies should be aimed at both farm and slaughterhouse levels.

In contrast to freshwater fish it is presumed that marine fish are unlikely to spawn with close relatives due to the dilution effect of large breeding populations and their propensity for movement and reproductive mixing. Inbreeding is therefore not typically a focal concern of marine fish management. We measured the effective number of breeders in 6 New York estuaries for winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus), a formerly abundant fish, using 11 microsatellite markers (6–56 alleles per locus). The effective number of breeders for 1–2 years was remarkably small, with point estimates ranging from 65–289 individuals. Excess homozygosity was detected at 10 loci in all bays (FIS = 0.169–0.283) and individuals exhibited high average internal relatedness (IR; mean = 0.226). These both indicate that inbreeding is very common in all bays, after testing for and ruling out alternative explanations such as technical and sampling artifacts. This study demonstrates that even historically common marine fish can be prone to inbreeding, a factor that should be considered in fisheries management and conservation plans. PMID:23762473

Full Text Available Mycotoxins are among the most important environmental contaminants. In the present study, ochratoxin A (OTA was produced by propagation of Aspergillus ochraceus and fed to breeder hens. For this purpose, 84 breeder hens were divided into seven groups (A-G. Group A served as control, while groups B, C, D, E, F and G were fed OTA at 0.1, 0.5, 1.0, 3.0, 5.0 and 10.0 mg/Kg feed, respectively for 3 weeks. Clinical signs, feed intake, feed conversion ratio and egg mass production were recorded on daily basis, while body weight was recorded on weekly basis. Lesions on visceral organs and serum biochemical parameters were determined. Significant decrease in feed intake, body weight and egg mass production was found in the OTA treated groups compared to control (P<0.05. Among different groups, diarrhea, unthriftiness, water intake and depression increased with increase in dietary OTA levels. Enlargement and hemorrhages on liver and kidney were more severe in birds fed higher dietary OTA levels. Serum ALT, urea, creatinine and total protein levels were significantly higher in OTA treated groups. It was concluded that production performance, pathological alterations and serum biochemical changes determined became more severe with increase in dietary levels of OTA.

The influence of fission-fusion dynamics, i.e., temporal variation in group size and composition, on social complexity has been studied in large-brained mammals that rely on social bonds. Little is known about birds, even though some species like ravens have recently received attention for their socio-cognitive skills and use of social bonds. While raven breeders defend territories year-round, non-breeders roam through large areas and form groups at food sources or night roosts. We here examined the fission-fusion patterns of non-breeding ravens over years, investigating whether birds meet repeatedly either at the same or at different locations. We combined four large datasets: presence-absence observations from two study sites (Austria, Italy) and GPS-tracking of ravens across two study areas (Austria, France). As expected, we found a highly dynamic system in which individuals with long phases of temporary settlement had a high probability of meeting others. Although GPS-tagged ravens spread out over thousands of square kilometres, we found repeated associations between almost half of the possible combinations at different locations. Such a system makes repeated interactions between individuals at different sites possible and likely. High fission-fusion dynamics may thus not hinder but shape the social complexity of ravens and, possibly, other long-term bonded birds.

Full Text Available Trials to compare mating ratios are important for optimizing the breeding efficiency of broilerbreeder flocks.The study provides information on the reproductive performance of broiler breeder flock (Ross308 maintained at different male: female (M: F ratios. 381, thirty week-old broiler breeders were randomly divided into three experimental groups with three replicates each and were assigned to one of the following male: female ratio, 1M: 13.3F, 1M: 11.6F and 1M: 10.5F. The birds were randomly allotted to 9, 2m x 2m floor pens in an environmentally controlled house. Eggs were collected daily and weekly egg production/bird was calculated for each group. Hatchability and egg production were significantly affected (P<0.05 by sex ratio. 1M: 13.3Fgrouphad significantly (P<0.05 higher egg production. Hatchability of 1M: 10.5F were significantly (P<0.05 the highest followed by 1M: 11.6Fand that of 1M: 13.3F sex ratio were the lowest from week 33.Increasing the sex ratio had the effect that although average egg production/female was lower, but hatchability were improved, possibly as a result of more frequent sexual interactions of males and females.

Identifying markers of individual quality is a central goal of life-history theory and conservation biology. The 'corticosterone (CORT)-fitness hypothesis' postulates that low fitness signals impaired ability to cope with the environment, resulting in elevated baseline CORT levels. CORT can, however, be negatively, positively or neutrally related to fitness, depending on the context. In order to clarify this controversial issue, we elucidate the utility of using baseline CORT as a correlate of individual fitness in incubating female eiders across variable environments. An increase in serum CORT with decreasing body condition was evident in older, more experienced breeders, while increased clutch mass was associated with elevated serum CORT in females breeding late in the season. For faecal CORT, the expected negative association with body condition was observed only in early breeders. We found a strong increase in faecal CORT with increasing baseline body temperature, indicating the utility of body temperature as a complementary stress indicator. Females in good body condition had a lower baseline body temperature, but this effect was only observed on open islands, a harsher breeding habitat less buffered against weather variability. Females with higher reproductive investment also maintained a lower baseline body temperature. Nest success strongly decreased with increasing serum and faecal CORT concentrations, and individual stress hormone and body temperature profiles were repeatable over years. Although our data support the tenet that baseline CORT is negatively related to fitness, the complex context-dependent effects call for cautious interpretation of relationships between stress physiology and phenotypic quality.

Full Text Available Staphylococcus aureus is the most common cause of bacterial arthritis in broiler breeder chickens. In this study, we established a model of broiler breeder chicken arthritis inoculated with Staph. aureus isolated from a spontaneously occurring bacterial arthritis in chickens. We evaluated the model by bacteriology, serology, pathology, and immunology. The results showed that 2.5 × 109 cfu Staph. aureus injected into the right joint cavity can successfully induce a chicken arthritis model. The majority of the infected chickens suffered lameness and joint swelling at 3 days post-inoculation (DPI. The death peak time was on 7 DPI and the mortality rate was 51.1%. Staph. aureus can be continuously isolated from the blood and left joint synovial fluid of the infected chickens. Lesions found on the infected chickens consisted of swollen joints full of caseous exudates, cartilage injury, and synovial membrane thickening with infiltration of inflammatory cells. The center of the lesion contained many round bacterial cocci. With joint injury aggravation, intra-articular hyaluronic acid gradually decreased, and serum interleukin-6 became significantly higher compared with the control (P<0.01 from 3 DPI. The results indicated that the chicken models of Staph. aureus-mediated arthritis were successful, and can be used to gain a better understanding of the host-bacterium relationship.

Full Text Available There is a need for a better understanding of the epidemiology of Mycoplasma synoviae (MS infection in broiler breeders in Brazil. Many features of the infection remain unrecognizable, because there are no clinical signs of the disease. A detailed testing was performed at each 6 to 8 weeks in three MS-free flocks introduced in farms with endemic MS infection for a follow-up epidemiological study. Every flock was monitored by polymerase chain reaction (PCR, by serum plate agglutination (SPA and hemagglutination inhibition (HI for serology studies, and isolation of mycoplasmas from tracheal swabs. PCR was found to be the most sensitive test, detecting early MS infection. Serology was positive in less than 50% of the sera and MS was isolated only between 27 and 28 weeks of age and in a maximum of 60% positive hens. A similar profile was seen for MS infection in all three flocks. Infection started at brooding, whereas laboratory detection of the assymptomatic infection was more probable in the weeks of increasing egg production. This predictable profile during rearing may be very useful for the optimization of monitoring MS infection in broiler breeder flocks.

The present studies evaluated the ability of jojoba meal (JO) to inhibit feed intake of broiler breeder pullets to limit body weight gain as recommended by the breeder company. A first experiment, using graded levels of JO supplementation (0 to 12%), was conducted to establish appropriate JO supplementation. Adequate reduction of growth rate was obtained with 4% JO supplementation. However, notwithstanding their similar growth rate, 4% JO chickens consumed considerably more feed compared with feed-restricted chickens. The dose-dependent impairment of feed intake with increasing levels of JO supplementation was also associated with increased plasma growth hormone and thyroxine and with decreased plasma insulin-like growth factor-I and triiodothyronine concentrations compared with 0% JO chickens. A second experiment included a pair-fed group. Notwithstanding their similar feed intake, 4% JO chickens gained significantly less body weight compared with their pair-fed counterparts. The 4% JO chickens also had a longer feed transit time per kilogram body weight. Again, circulating levels of the somatotrophic and thyrotrophic hormones were altered according to the dietary treatment. From all these observations, it was concluded that the growth retardation caused by JO supplementation was provoked by an inhibition of appetite linked with the simmondsin content of JO as well as by other antinutritional compounds affecting digestibility.

Full Text Available Contaminated poultry and poultry products are a major source of motile Salmonellae for human salmonellosis worldwide. Local circulation of any motile Salmonella serovar in poultry has a wider public health impact beyond its source of origin for being dispersed elsewhere through poultry trades or human travels. To investigate the status of motile Salmonella serovars in breeder farms in Bangladesh, multiple flocks of two breeder farms were observed for a period of six months. In addition, a cross-sectional survey was carried out to determine the prevalence and serovar distribution of motile Salmonella by randomly selecting 100 commercial broiler poultry farms. Five pooled faecal samples representing an entire housed flock of breeders or broilers were screened for presence of motile Salmonella following conventional bacteriological procedures. The Salmonella isolates obtained were subsequently serotyped, and characterized by plasmid profiling and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE. The results revealed that both the breeder farms were positive with three Salmonella serovars: S. Virchow, S. Paratyphi B var Java (S. Java and S. Enteritidis. Eleven of the 100 broiler farms investigated were positive for motile Salmonella, giving a farm-level prevalence of 11% (95% confidence interval 5-17%. S. Virchow and S. Kentucky were the two predominant serovars isolated from the broiler farms. The PFGE genotyping demonstrated that the isolates belonging to the same serovars were closely related due to variation in only 1-4 bands. All the S. Virchow and S. Java isolates, irrespective of breeder or broiler farm origin, were plasmid-free, except for one S. Virchow isolate from a broiler farm that harboured a 9.7 kb-sized plasmid. The S. Kentucky isolates belonged to three plasmid profiles having plasmids of four different sizes, ranging from 2.7 to 109 kb. This is the first report of any motile Salmonella serovars from breeder and commercial broiler poultry

A reactor container of the present invention has a structure that the reactor container is entirely at the same temperature as that at the inlet of the reactor and, a hot pool is incorporated therein, and the reactor container has is entirely at the same temperature and has substantially uniform temperature follow-up property transiently. Namely, if the temperature at the inlet of the reactor core changes, the temperature of the entire reactor container changes following this change, but no great temperature gradient is caused in the axial direction and no great heat stresses due to axial temperature distribution is caused. Occurrence of thermal stresses caused by the axial temperature distribution can be suppressed to improve the reliability of the reactor container. In addition, since the laying of the reactor inlet pipelines over the inside of the reactor is eliminated, the reactor container is made compact and the heat shielding structures above the reactor and a protection structure of container walls are simplified. Further, secondary coolants are filled to the outside of the reactor container to simplify the shieldings. The combined effects described above can improve economical property and reliability. (N.H.).

Full Text Available Abstract Background A territory as a prerequisite for breeding limits the maximum number of breeders in a given area, and thus lowers the proportion of breeders if population size increases. However, some territorially breeding animals can have dramatic density fluctuations and little is known about the change from density-dependent processes to density-independence of breeding during a population increase or an outbreak. We suggest that territoriality, breeding suppression and its break-down can be understood with an incomplete-control model, developed for social breeders and social suppression. Results We studied density dependence in an arvicoline species, the bank vole, known as a territorial breeder with cyclic and non-cyclic density fluctuations and periodically high densities in different parts of its range. Our long-term data base from 38 experimental populations in large enclosures in boreal grassland confirms that breeding rates are density-regulated at moderate densities, probably by social suppression of subordinate potential breeders. We conducted an experiment, were we doubled and tripled this moderate density under otherwise the same conditions and measured space use, mortality, reproduction and faecal stress hormone levels (FGM of adult females. We found that mortality did not differ among the densities, but the regulation of the breeding rate broke down: at double and triple densities all females were breeding, while at the low density the breeding rate was regulated as observed before. Spatial overlap among females increased with density, while a minimum territory size was maintained. Mean stress hormone levels were higher in double and triple densities than at moderate density. Conclusions At low and moderate densities, breeding suppression by the dominant breeders, But above a density-threshold (similar to a competition point, the dominance of breeders could not be sustained (incomplete control. In our experiment, this point

The effect of feeding programs on the time of clearance of Escherichia coli in broiler breeder pullets was investigated. Broiler breeder pullets from a single grandparent flock were in ovo-vaccinated at 19 d of incubation with a vector HVT (vHVT) vector HVT + Infectious bursal disease (IBD) vaccine....

The Department of Energy (DOE), in the ERDA Manual, requires that all DOE-owned reactors be sited, designed, constructed, modified, operated, maintained, and decommissioned in a manner that gives adequate consideration to health and safety factors. Specific guidance pertinent to the safety of DOE-owned reactors is found in Chapter 0540 of the ERDA Manual. The purpose of this Design Guide is to provide additional guidance to aid the DOE facility contractor in meeting the requirement that the siting, design, construction, modification operation, maintainance, and decommissioning of DOW-owned reactors be in accordance with generally uniform standards, guide and codes which are comparable to those applied to similar reactors licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). This Design Guide deals principally with the design and functional requirements of Category II reactor structure, components, and systems.

The Department of Energy (DOE) in the ERDA Manual requires that all DOE-owned reactors be sited, designed, constructed, modified, operated, maintained, and decommissioned in a manner that gives adequate consideration to health and safety factors. Specific guidance pertinent to the safety of DOE-owned reactors is found in Chapter 0540 of the ERDA Manual. The purpose of this Design Guide is to provide additional guidance to aid the DOE facility contractor in meeting the requirement that the siting, design, construction, modification, operation, maintenance, and decommissioning of DOE-owned reactors be in accordance with generally uniform standards, guides, and codes which are comparable to those applied to similar reactors licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). This Design Guide deals principally with the design and functional requirement of Category III reactor structures, components, and systems.

Spent Nuclear Fuel Discharges from US Reactors 1994 provides current statistical data on fuel assemblies irradiated at commercial nuclear reactors operating in the US. This year`s report provides data on the current inventories and storage capacities at these reactors. Detailed statistics on the data are presented in four chapters that highlight 1994 spent fuel discharges, storage capacities and inventories, canister and nonfuel component data, and assembly characteristics. Five appendices, a glossary, and bibliography are also included. 10 figs., 34 tabs.

This book describes the principles and practices of reactor safety as applied to the design, regulation and operation of light water reactors, combining a historical approach with an up-to-date account of the safety, technology and operating experience of both pressurized water reactors and boiling water reactors. The introductory chapters set out the basic facts upon which the safety of light water reactors depend. The central section is devoted to the methods and results of safety analysis. The accidents at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl are reviewed and their implications for light wate

Nuclear reactor physics is the core discipline of nuclear engineering. Nuclear reactors now account for a significant portion of the electrical power generated worldwide, and new power reactors with improved fuel cycles are being developed. At the same time, the past few decades have seen an ever-increasing number of industrial, medical, military, and research applications for nuclear reactors. The second edition of this successful comprehensive textbook and reference on basic and advanced nuclear reactor physics has been completely updated, revised and enlarged to include the latest developme

The research on Reduced-Moderation Water Reactors (RMWRs) has been performed in JAERI for the development of future innovative reactors. The workshop on the RMWRs has been held every year since fiscal 1997 aimed at information exchange between JAERI and other organizations such as universities, laboratories, utilities and vendors. The 4th workshop was held on March 2, 2001 under the joint auspices of JAERI and North Kanto branch of Atomic Energy Society of Japan. The workshop began with three lectures on recent research activities in JAERI entitled 'Recent Situation of Research on Reduced-Moderation Water Reactor', 'Analysis on Electricity Generation Costs of Reduced Moderation Water Reactors' and 'Reprocessing Technology for Spent Mixed-Oxides Fuel from LWR'. Then five lectures followed: 'Micro Reactor Physics of MOX Fueled LWR' which shows the recent results of reactor physics, Fast Reactor Cooled by Supercritical Light Water' which is another type of reduced-moderation reactor, 'Phase 1 of Feasibility Studies on Commercialized Fast BreederReactor Cycle System' mainly conducted by Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute (JNC), 'Integral Type Small PWR with Stand-alone Safety' which is intended to suit for the future consumers' needs, and Utilization of Plutonium in Reduced-Moderation Water Reactors' which dictates benefits of plutonium utilization with RMWRs. This report includes the original papers presented at the workshop and summaries of the questions and answers for each lecture, as well as presentation handouts, program and participant list as appendixes. The 8 of the presented papers are indexed individually. (J.P.N.)

The research activities of a Reduced-Moderation Water Reactor (RMWR) are being performed for a development of the next generation water-cooled reactor. A workshop on the RMWR was held on March 3rd 2000 aiming to exchange information between JAERI and other organizations such as universities, laboratories, utilities and vendors. This report summarizes the contents of lectures and discussions on the workshop. The 1st workshop was held on March 1998 focusing on the review of the research activities and future research plan. The succeeding 2nd workshop was held on March 1999 focusing on the topics of the plutonium utilization in water-cooled reactors. The 3rd workshop was held on March 3rd 2000, which was attended by 77 participants. The workshop began with a lecture titled 'Recent Situation Related to Reduced-Moderation Water Reactor (RMWR)', followed by 'Program on MOX Fuel Utilization in Light Water Reactors' which is the mainstream scenario of plutonium utilization by utilities, and 'Feasibility Studies on Commercialized Fast BreederReactor Cycle System' mainly conducted by Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute (JNC). Also, following lectures were given as the recent research activities in JAERI: 'Progress in Design Study on Reduced-Moderation Water Reactors', 'Long-Term Scenarios of Power Reactors and Fuel Cycle Development and the Role of Reduced Moderation Water Reactors', 'Experimental and Analytical Study on Thermal Hydraulics' and Reactor Physics Experiment Plan using TCA'. At the end of the workshop, a general discussion was performed about the research and development of the RMWR. This report includes the original papers presented at the workshop and summaries of the questions and answers for each lecture and general discussion, as well as presentation viewgraphs, program and participant list as appendixes. The 7 of the presented papers are indexed individually. (J.P.N.)

A spinning fluids reactor, includes a reactor body (24) having a circular cross-section and a fluid contactor screen (26) within the reactor body (24). The fluid contactor screen (26) having a plurality of apertures and a circular cross-section concentric with the reactor body (24) for a length thus forming an inner volume (28) bound by the fluid contactor screen (26) and an outer volume (30) bound by the reactor body (24) and the fluid contactor screen (26). A primary inlet (20) can be operatively connected to the reactor body (24) and can be configured to produce flow-through first spinning flow of a first fluid within the inner volume (28). A secondary inlet (22) can similarly be operatively connected to the reactor body (24) and can be configured to produce a second flow of a second fluid within the outer volume (30) which is optionally spinning.

The Dalat Nuclear Research Reactor (DNRR) is a pool type research reactor which was reconstructed in 1982 from the previous 250 kW TRIGA-MARK II reactor. The reactor core, the control and instrumentation system, the primary and secondary cooling systems as well as other associated systems were newly designed and installed. The renovated reactor reached its initial criticality in November 1983 and attained its nominal power of 500 kW in February 1984. Since then DNRR has been operated safely. Retained structures of the former reactor such as the reactor aluminum tank, the graphite reflector, the thermal column, the horizontal beam tubes and the radiation concrete shielding are 35 years old. During the recent years, in-service inspection has been carried out, the reactor control and instrumentation system were renovated due to ageing and obsolescence of its components, reactor general inspection and refurbishment were performed. Efforts are being made to cope with ageing of old reactorcomponents to maintain safe operation of the DNRR. (author)

A family of heat pipe reactors design concepts has been developed to provide heat to a variety of electrical conversion systems. Three power plants are described that span the power range 1-500 kWe and operate in the temperature range 1200-1700 K. The reactors are fast, compact, heat-pipe cooled, high-temperature nuclear reactors fueled with fully enriched refractory fuels, UC-ZrC or UO2. Each fuel element is cooled by an axially located molybdenum heat pipe containing either sodium or lithium vapor. Virtues of the reactor designs are the avoidance of single-point failure mechanisms, the relatively high operating temperature, and the expected long lifetimes of the fuel element components.

When added to the feed of broiler breeder hens, dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids (FA) can be incorporated into the yolk and therefore become available to the progeny during their early development. The mechanism involved in lipid metabolism and deposition in the egg may be influenced by breeder age. Before the effect of an elevated concentration of certain polyunsaturated FA on the embryo can be investigated, the effect at breeder level and egg quality must be further assessed. The aim of the present experiment was to evaluate the effects of dietary n-6/n-3 ratios and dietary eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5 n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6 n-3) ratios, provided to broiler breeder hens, in terms of their zoo technical performance, egg quality, and yolk FA composition. Starting at 6 wk of age, 640 Ross-308 broiler breeder hens were fed 1 of 4 different diets. The control diet was a basal diet, rich in n-6 FA. The 3 other diets were enriched in n-3 FA, formulated to obtain a different EPA/DHA ratio of 1/1 (EPA = DHA), 1/2 (DHA), or 2/1 (EPA). In fact, after analysis the EPA/DHA ratio was 0.8, 0.4, or 2.1, respectively. Dietary EPA and DHA addition did not affect the performance of the breeder hens, except for egg weight. Egg weight was lower (P < 0.001) for all n-3 treatments. Dietary EPA improved number of eggs laid in the first 2 wk of the production cycle (P = 0.029). The absolute and relative yolk weight of eggs laid by EPA = DHA fed hens was lowest (P = 0.004 and P = 0.025, respectively). The EPA and DHA concentrations in the yolk were highly dependent on dietary EPA and DHA concentrations with a regression coefficient equal to 0.89. It can be concluded that dietary EPA and DHA can be incorporated in the breeder egg yolk to become available for the developing embryo, without compromising the performance and egg quality of the flock.

Footpad dermatitis begins early in life, and there is evidence of individual susceptibility. An experiment was conducted to evaluate the carryover effects of breeder feed restriction programs and incubation temperatures (TEM) on progeny footpad development at hatch, and 7 and 22 d. Cobb 500 fast feathering breeders were subjected to 2 dietary feed restriction programs during rearing: skip-a-day (SAD) and every-day feeding (EDF). At 60 wk of age, eggs from each group were collected and incubated according to 2 TEM, standard (S) eggshell temperature (38.1°C) and early-low late-high (LH). This second profile had low (36.9°C) eggshell temperature for the first 3 d, and standard temperature until the last 3 d when eggs were subjected to elevated (38.9°C) eggshell temperature. At hatch, 15 chicks from each treatment combination were sampled to obtain footpads for histological analysis. Seventy-two chicks per treatment were placed in 48 cages (6/cage), and raised to 22 d. At 7 and 22 d, 1 and 2 chickens, respectively, were sampled for footpads. The BW and group feed intake were recorded to obtain BW gain and feed conversion ratio at 7 and 21 d. Histological analysis assessed thickness and total area of stratus corneum (SC), epidermis, and dermis, and total papillae height. Data were analyzed as randomized complete block design in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. There was a negative effect of LH TEM on performance at both ages. An interaction effect on SC area and papillae height was observed at hatch. Additionally, SAD treatment increased thickness and area of footpad dermis. At 7 d, the SC parameters of the SAD progeny were increased. Epidermis thickness was affected by treatment interaction. Furthermore, LH TEM decreased epidermis thickness and dermis area. At 22 d, interaction effects were observed in thickness and area of SC and epidermis. Incubation S TEM increased thickness and area of dermis. It was concluded that breeder feed restriction programs

SYCOMORE, a fusion reactor system code based on a modular approach, is under development at CEA. In this framework, this paper describes a methodology developed to build the neutronic module of SYCOMORE. This neutronic module aims to evaluate main neutronic parameters characterising a fusion reactor (tokamak): tritium breeding ratio, multiplication factor, nuclear heating as a function of the reactor main geometrical parameters (major radius, elongation, etc.), of the radial build, Li enrichment, blanket and shield thickness, etc. It is based on calculations carried out with APOLLO2 and TRIPOLI-4 CEA transport code on simplified 1D and 2D neutronic models. These models are validated versus a more detailed 3D Monte-Carlo model (using TRIPOLI-4). To ease the integration of this neutronic module in SYCOMORE and provide results instantly, a surrogate model that replicates the 1D and 2D neutronic model results was used. Among the different surrogate models types (polynomial interpolation, responses functions, interpolating by Kriging, artificial neural network, etc.) the neural networks were selected for their efficiency and flexibility. The methodology described in this paper to build SYCOMORE neutronic module is devoted to HCLL blanket, but it could be applied to any breeder blanket concept provided that appropriate validation could be carried out.

The first fast breeder eactors, constructed in the 1945-1960 time period, used metallic fuels composed of uranium, plutonium, or their alloys. They were chosen because most existing reactor operating experience had been obtained on metallic fuels and because they provided the highest breeding ratios. Difficulties in obtaining adequate dimensional stability in metallic fuel elements under conditions of high fuel burnup led in the 1960s to the virtual worldwide choice of ceramic fuels. Although ceramic fuels provide lower breeding performance, this objective is no longer an important consideration in most national programs. Mixed uranium and plutonium dioxide became the ceramic fuel that has received the widest use. The more advanced ceramic fuels, mixed uranium and plutonium carbides and nitrides, continue under development. More recently, metal fuel elements of improved design have joined ceramic fuels in achieving goal burnups of 15 to 20 percent. Low-swelling fuel cladding alloys have also been continuously developed to deal with the unexpected problem of void formation in stainless steels subjected to fast neutron irradiation, a phenomenon first observed in the 1960s. (orig.)

The outline of the fast experimental reactor ''Joyo'' is introduced, and the fuel handling mechanism peculiar to fast reactors is described. The objectives of the construction of Joyo are to obtain the techniques for the design, construction, manufacture, installation, operation and maintenance of sodium-cooled fast reactors independently, and to use it as an irradiation facility for the development of fuel and materials for fast breederreactors. At present, the reactor is operated at 100 MW maximum thermal output for the second objective. Since liquid sodium is used as the coolant, the atmosphere of the fuel handling course changes such as liquid sodium at 250 deg C, argon gas at 200 deg C and water, in addition, the spent fuel taken out has the decay heat of 2.1 kW at maximum. The fuel handling works in the reactor and fuel transfer works, and the fuel handling mechanism of a fuel exchanger and that of a cask car for fuel handling are described. Relay sequence control system is used for the fuel handling mechanism of Joyo.

Some concepts for the SP-100 space nuclear power reactor use liquid metal as the primary coolant in a pumped loop. Prior to filling ground engineering test articles or reactor systems, the liquid metal must be purified and circulated through the reactor primary system to remove contaminants. If not removed, these contaminants enhance corrosion and reduce reliability. A facility was designed and built to support Department of Energy Liquid Metal Fast BreederReactor tests conducted at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory. This test program used liquid sodium to cool nuclear fuel in in-pile experiments; thus, a system was needed to store and purify sodium inventories and fill the experiment assemblies. This same system, with modifications and potential changeover to lithium or sodium-potassium (NaK), can be used in the Space Nuclear Power Reactor Program. This paper addresses the requirements, description, modifications, operation, and appropriateness of using this liquid-metal system to support the SP-100 space reactor program.

The Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) is a new nuclear fuel cycle paradigm with the goals of expanding the use of nuclear power both domestically and internationally, addressing nuclear waste management concerns, and promoting nonproliferation. A key aspect of this program is fast reactor transmutation, in which transuranics recovered from light water reactor spent fuel are to be recycled to create fast reactor transmutation fuels. The benefits of these fuels are to be demonstrated in an Advanced Burner Reactor (ABR), which will provide a representative environment for recycle fuel testing, safety testing, and modern fast reactor design and safeguard features. Because the GNEP programs will require facilities which may have an impact upon the environment within the meaning of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), preparation of a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for GNEP is being undertaken by Tetra Tech, Inc. The PEIS will include a section on the ABR. In support of the PEIS, the Nuclear Engineering Division of Argonne National Laboratory has been asked to provide a description of the ABR alternative, including graphics, plus estimates of construction and operations data for an ABR plant. The compilation of this information is presented in the remainder of this report. Currently, DOE has started the process of engaging industry on the design of an Advanced Burner Reactor. Therefore, there is no specific, current, vendor-produced ABR design that could be used for this PEIS datacall package. In addition, candidate sites for the ABR vary widely as to available water, geography, etc. Therefore, ANL has based its estimates for construction and operations data largely on generalization of available information from existing plants and from the environmental report assembled for the Clinch River BreederReactor Plant (CRBRP) design [CRBRP, 1977]. The CRBRP environmental report was chosen as a resource because it thoroughly

The metal and graphite components used in high temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGR) may suffer physical-chemical alterations, irradiation damage and mechanical alterations. Their failure may call the security of these reactors into question by affecting the integrity of the pressure control system, core geometry or its cooling, among other aspects. This article analyses the work currently being done in the matter by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. (Author)

This report provides the design requirements of an integral type reactor vessel surveillance program for an integral type reactor in accordance with the requirements of Korean MEST (Ministry of Education, Science and Technology Development) Notice 2008-18. This report covers the requirements for the design of surveillance capsule assemblies including their test specimens, test block materials, handling tools, and monitors of the surveillance capsule neutron fluence and temperature. In addition, this report provides design requirements for the program for irradiation surveillance of reactor vessel materials, a layout of specimens and monitors in the surveillance capsule, procedures of installation and retrieval of the surveillance capsule assemblies, and the layout of the surveillance capsule assemblies in the reactor.

Hastelloy X, an Ni--Cr--Fe--Mo alloy, may be an important structural alloy for components of gas-cooled reactor systems. Expected applications of this alloy in the High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (HTGR) are discussed, and the development of interim mechanical properties and supporting data...

In cooperative breeders, the tension between the opposing forces of kin selection and kin competition is at its most severe. Although philopatry facilitates kin selection, it also increases the risk of inbreeding. When dispersal is limited, extra-pair paternity might be an important mechanism to avo

With a view to alleviate the feeling of hunger in broiler breeders, different types of fibre sources were used in high-fibre diets to increase feed quantity while limiting growth to industry recommended levels. Using scatter feeding, three diets (C1: commercial control diet, 1 × fibre content, 80...

Full Text Available Dispersal affects both social behavior and population structure and is therefore a key determinant of long-term population persistence. However, dispersal strategies and responses to spatial habitat alteration may differ between sexes. Here we analyzed spatial and temporal variation in ten polymorphic microsatellite DNA loci of male and female Cabanis's greenbuls (Phyllastrephuscabanisi, a cooperative breeder of Afrotropical rainforest, to quantify rates of gene flow and fine-grained genetic structuring within and among fragmented populations. We found genetic evidence for female-biased dispersal at small spatial scales, but not at the landscape level. Local autocorrelation analysis provided evidence of positive genetic structure within 300 m distance ranges, which is consistent with behavioral observations of short-distance natal dispersal. At a landscape scale, individual-based autocorrelation values decreased over time while levels of admixture increased, possibly indicating increased gene flow over the past decade.

For the construction of an electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) charge breeder (CB) at KEK-JAERI radioactive nuclear beam facility, we have made a pilot charge breeding system consisting of two compact-sized ECR ion sources. In order to find the necessary conditions for an ECRCB with high efficiency, the charge breeding efficiency for Ar ions in nitrogen plasma has been measured and compared with the results from the simulation of the trajectories of the ions in the plasma. By explicitly taking into account the cumulative small angle scattering of charged ions as well as the confinement magnetic field of the pilot CB, the simulation predicts the stopping efficiency. This is defined as a probability that the injected ions are still within the plasma volume when their initial directional motions have become randomized. Incorporating the ionization efficiency for the ions, the overall breeding efficiency has been estimated. Finally, the characteristics of the ECRCB recently installed for tests at KEK is described.

EUROFER97 has been tested in contact with lithium silicates during 1, 2, 4 and 8 weeks in a H{sub 2}/He atmosphere at 1 MPa. The results show a large interaction of the steel with the lithium ceramic breeder. The corroded samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and impedance techniques and analyzed with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy and microprobe. The results indicated that a corrosion layer formed on the EUROFER97 being of complex nature that is noticeable even a few hours of testing. The process begins with the Fe-dealloying of the EUROFER97 producing a layer enriched in Cr, which seems to retard the corrosion attack.

Full Text Available Avian mycoplasmosis causes great economic losses to the poultry industry, and one of the major agents involved is Mycoplasma synovie (MS. Serum from commercial poultry breeders (=2781 was tested for MS by serum plate agglutination (SPA, hemagglutination inhibition (HI, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA. From 2,781 samples tested, 736 (26.46% were positive in SPA. From 712 SPA-positive sera, 30 samples (4.21% were positive in HI, and 150 samples (21.06% were positive in ELISA. Copositivity between ELISA and HI was 90%, and conegativity was 82.0%. Agreement between HI and ELISA was rejected by McNemar's test (≤.001, and Kappa coefficient showed a weak correlation between the two techniques (=0.25; 0.21≤<0.40. Weak statistical correlation was observed between all serological tests (SPA, HI, and ELISA, and they should only be used for initial screening for MS.

Full Text Available Lithium orthosilicate (Li4SiO4 ceramics in from of pebble bed is the European candidate for ITER testing HCPB (Helium Cooled Pebble Bed breeding modules. The breeder function and the shielding role of this material, represent the areas upon which attention is focused. Electrical measurements are proposed for monitoring the modification created by ionizing radiation and at the same time provide information on lithium movement in this ceramic structure. The electrical tests are performed on pebbles fabricated by Spray-dryer method before and after gamma-irradiation through a 60Co source to a fluence of 4.8 Gy/s till a total dose of 5 ∗ 105 Gy. The introduction of thermal annealing treatments during the electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS measurements points out the recombination effect of the temperature on the γ-induced defects.

Research on eutectic Pb-17Li is part of the blanket studies carried-out in the frame of the EC-Fusion Technology Programme. Two blanket concepts using liquid Pb-17Li as breeder, one water-cooled and the other self-cooled, are being investigated and are among the candidates for testing in the Next Step machines. After a brief recall of the main features of both concepts, the paper presents the progress on the Pb-17Li data base acquisition, namely: — thermophysical properties, — solubility of metallic and non metallic elements (with a special attention to tritium), — chemical reactivity, — corrosion of structural materials and related mechanical effects, — tritium production and recovery.

Research on eutectic Pb-17Li is part of the blanket studies carried-out in the frame of the EC-Fusion Technology Programme. Two blanket concepts using liquid Pb-17Li as breeder, one water-cooled and the other self-cooled, are being investigated and are among the candidates for testing in the Next Step machines. After a brief recall of the main features of both concepts, the paper presents the progress on the Pb-17Li data base acquisition, namely: - thermophysical properties, - solubility of metallic and non metallic elements (with a special attention to tritium), - chemical reactivity, - corrosion of structural materials and related mechanical effects, - tritium production and recovery. (orig.).

Females often manage the high energy demands associated with reproduction by accumulating and storing energy in the form of fat before initiating their reproductive effort. However, fat stores cannot satisfy all reproductive resource demands, which include considerable investment of amino acids (e.g., for the production of yolk proteins or gluconeogenesis). Because capital breeders generally do not eat during reproduction, these amino acids must come from internal resources, typically muscle proteins. Although the energetic costs of reproduction have been fairly well studied, there are limited data on structural and performance costs associated with the muscle degradation required to meet amino acid demands. Thus, we examined structural changes (epaxial muscle width) and performance costs (constriction and strength) over the course of reproduction in a pure capital breeder, the children's python (Antaresia childreni). We found that both egg production (i.e., direct resource allocation) and maternal care (egg brooding) induce muscle catabolism and affect performance of the female. Although epaxial muscle loss was minimal in nonreproductive females, it reached up to 22% (in females after oviposition) and 34% (in females after brooding) of initial muscle width. Interestingly, we found that individuals with higher initial muscular condition allocated more of their muscle into reproduction. The amount of muscle loss was significantly linked to clutch mass, underscoring the role of structural protein in egg production. Egg brooding significantly increased proteolysis and epaxial loss despite no direct allocation to the offspring. Muscle loss was linked to a significant reduction in performance in postreproductive females. Overall, these results demonstrate that capital-breeding females experience dramatic costs that consume structural resources and jeopardize performance.

1. The objective of the study was to investigate the effects of breeder age and egg weight on hatching performance and morphological changes in segments of the small intestine of broiler chicks during a 21 h hatch window. 2. Eggs from Ross broiler breeder flocks aged 29 (young) and 48 weeks (old) were classified as light (LE) or heavy (HE) and incubated at the same conditions. At 475 h of incubation, eggs were checked every 3 h to determine time of external pipping and hatching. The first 42 chicks to emerge from each group were weighed and chick length was measured and 14 chicks from each group were sampled to collect residual yolk and intestine segments. The rest of chicks were placed back in the incubator and chick weight and length were measured individually at 9, 15 and 21 h after chicks hatched. At the end of 21 h, 14 chicks from each group were sampled again and the same procedure was followed. 3. The HE chicks pipped and hatched later than LE, regardless of breeder age. From hatch to the end of the hatch window, chick weight, but not yolk-free chick weight, gradually reduced. Relative residual yolk weight of chicks from both egg weights was similar at hatch, however, yolk sac utilisation was higher for LE chicks during the 21 h post-hatch period. At hatch, jejunum and ileum villus development was very similar for HE and LE chicks but greater development was observed for villus area with an increase in the jejunum villus length, width and goblet cell numbers in HE chicks. 4. The longest jejunum villus and the widest duodenum and jejunum villus were obtained for HE chicks from old breeders indicating that HE chicks from old breeders would have a greater surface area for nutrient absorption.

Foot pad dermatitis and hock burn lesions are a form of contact dermatitis, a condition affecting skin areas in contact with unsuitable or irritating material. Contact dermatitis is a common problem, reducing the welfare of broilers, and is believed to also affect broiler breeders. However, there is very little research on contact dermatitis in breeders. This study followed the severity of foot pad lesions in broiler breeders throughout the production period. At slaughter the presence of hock burns and breast blisters was also determined. In addition, changes in litter condition over time and the impact of litter quality on foot pads were evaluated. The study was performed on 10 broiler breeder farms, including altogether 18 flocks. Foot pads of 100 hens per flock were assessed at the end of rearing period, three times during the production period, and at slaughter. Foot pad and hock lesions, as well as litter condition were scored on a 5-point scale. Litter quality was evaluated as pH, moisture and ammonia content. The condition of foot pads deteriorated towards slaughter age, with the occurrence of severe lesions reaching a maximum of 64% on average at slaughter. Hock lesions and breast blisters were rare. The litter layer became drier over time. Although poorer litter condition and wetness influenced foot pad health negatively, the effect on severe lesions was not significant. We also observed a negative effect on foot pad condition of larger slat areas. In conclusion, maintaining good litter quality alone is not enough to ensure healthy foot pads in broiler breeders.

Fe-Cr alloys form the basis of many industrially important steels. Due to their excellent resistance to radiation induced swelling, ferritic steels are expected to be used for critical structural components in advanced nuclear systems, such as fast breederreactors, accelerator driven systems and fusion reactors. In this thesis project, theoretical modelling of bulk properties of Fe-Cr alloys has been performed for a wide range of phenomena. Electronic structure calculations, based on density functional theory, have been used to determine equilibrium properties for different magnetic states of the alloy. Ferromagnetic alloys of low Cr concentration (<10% Cr) are anomalously stable, which is related to the variation in sign of the mixing enthalpy which was predicted for the first time in this work. This finding is in agreement with experimental evidence of long range ordering in Fe-Cr alloys with low Cr concentration, as well as the observed phase separation for compositions with higher Cr content. The character of the interaction of point defects with solute Cr atoms in an iron matrix was investigated ab initio. It was found that due to magnetic interactions, interstitial defects are bound by Cr atoms in bulk iron. Vacancies, on the other hand, interact only weakly with Cr. These results may offer qualitative explanations to the observed concentration dependence of radiation induced swelling in Fe-Cr model alloys. The ab initio predictions inspired an effort to develop an interatomic alloy potential capable of reproducing both the thermodynamic bulk behaviour of the alloy, such as the mixing enthalpy, and the point defect interactions, in order to perform large scale atomistic and stochastic simulations on scales out of reach for density functional theory. A two-band extension of the embedded atom method of interatomic potentials was developed in order to model ferromagnetic Fe-Cr alloys of arbitrary composition. Kinetic Monte-Carlo simulations of thermal aging

The pressure tubes in CANDU reactors have been operating for times up to about 25 years. The in-reactor performance of Zr-2.5Nb pressure tubes has been evaluated by sampling and periodic inspection. This paper describes the behaviour and discusses the factors controlling the behaviour of these components in currently operating CANDU reactors. The mechanical properties (such as ultimate tensile strength, UTS, and fracture toughness), and delayed-hydride-cracking properties (crack growth rate Vc, and threshold stress intensity factor, KIH) change with irradiation; the former reach a limiting value at a fluence of Pressure tubes exhibit elongation and diametral expansion. The deformation behaviour is a function of operating conditions and material properties that vary from tube-to-tube and as a function of axial location. Semi-empirical predictive models have been developed to describe the deformation response of average tubes as a function of operating conditions. For corrosion and, more importantly deuterium pickup, semi-empirical predictive models have also been developed to represent the behaviour of an average tube. The effect of material variability on corrosion behaviour is less well defined compared with other properties. Improvements in manufacturing have increased fracture resistance by minimising trace elements, especially H and Cl, and reduced variability by tightening controls on forming parameters, especially hot-working temperatures.

This paper reports a 3-d numerical simulation system to analyze the complicatedflow in plasma reactors for coal gasification, which involve complex chemical reaction, two-phaseflow and plasma effect. On the basis of analytic results, the distribution of the density, tempera-ture and components' concentration are obtained and a different plasma reactor configuration isproposed to optimize the flow parameters. The numerical simulation results show an improvedconversion ratio of the coal gasification. Different kinds of chemical reaction models are used tosimulate the complex flow inside the reactor. It can be concluded that the numerical simulationsystem can be very useful for the design and optimization of the plasma reactor.

This paper reports a 3-d numerical simulation system to analyze the complicated flow in plasma reactors for coal gasification, which involve complex chemical reaction, two-phase flow and plasma effect. On the basis of analytic results, the distribution of the density, temperature and components' concentration are obtained and a different plasma reactor configuration is proposed to optimize the flow parameters. The numerical simulation results show an improved conversion ratio of the coal gasification. Different kinds of chemical reaction models are used to simulate the complex flow inside the reactor. It can be concluded that the numerical simulation system can be very useful for the design and optimization of the plasma reactor.

The efforts made by Electricite de France to reduce exposure from the two-component neutron-gamma radiation fields inside the pressurized water reactor (PWR) building are described. Most of the attention had been focused on the problem of neutron exposure relative to the problem of achieving a highly efficient confinement within the reactor cavity and the state of the art of personnel neutron dosimetry. A description of the general neutron calculation scheme that links the characteristics of the neutron fields escaping from the reactor vessel to the dose equivalent rate cartographies inside the reactor building is provided.

Fast Spectrum Reactors presents a detailed overview of world-wide technology contributing to the development of fast spectrum reactors. With a unique focus on the capabilities of fast spectrum reactors to address nuclear waste transmutation issues, in addition to the well-known capabilities of breeding new fuel, this volume describes how fast spectrum reactors contribute to the wide application of nuclear power systems to serve the global nuclear renaissance while minimizing nuclear proliferation concerns. Readers will find an introduction to the sustainable development of nuclear energy and the role of fast reactors, in addition to an economic analysis of nuclear reactors. A section devoted to neutronics offers the current trends in nuclear design, such as performance parameters and the optimization of advanced power systems. The latest findings on fuel management, partitioning and transmutation include the physics, efficiency and strategies of transmutation, homogeneous and heterogeneous recycling, in addit...

The rationale for hybrid fusion-fission reactors is the production of fissile fuel for fission reactors. A new class of reactor, the fission-suppressed hybrid promises unusually good safety features as well as the ability to support 25 light-water reactors of the same nuclear power rating, or even more high-conversion-ratio reactors such as the heavy-water type. One 4000-MW nuclear hybrid can produce 7200 kg of /sup 233/U per year. To obtain good economics, injector efficiency times plasma gain (eta/sub i/Q) should be greater than 2, the wall load should be greater than 1 MW.m/sup -2/, and the hybrid should cost less than 6 times the cost of a light-water reactor. Introduction rates for the fission-suppressed hybrid are usually rapid.

The conceptual design is for a liquid metal (LM) cooled nuclear reactor that would provide heat to a closed Brayton cycle (CBC) power conversion subsystem to provide electricity for electric propulsion thrusters and spacecraft power. The baseline power level is 100 kWe to the user. For long term power generation, UN pin fuel with Nb1Zr alloy cladding was selected. As part of the SP-100 Program this fuel demonstrated lifetime with greater than six atom percent burnup, at temperatures in the range of 1400-1500 K. The CBC subsystem was selected because of the performance and lifetime database from commercial and aircraft applications and from prior NASA and DOE space programs. The high efficiency of the CBC also allows the reactor to operate at relatively low power levels over its 15-year life, minimizing the long-term power density and temperature of the fuel. The scope of this paper is limited to only the nuclear components that provide heated helium-xenon gas to the CBC subsystem. The principal challenge for the LM reactor concept was to design the reactor core, shield and primary heat transport subsystems to meet mission requirements in a low mass configuration. The LM concept design approach was to assemble components from prior programs and, with minimum change, determine if the system met the objective of the study. All of the components are based on technologies having substantial data bases. Nuclear, thermalhydraulic, stress, and shielding analyses were performed using available computer codes. Neutronics issues included maintaining adequate operating and shutdown reactivities, even under accident conditions. Thermalhydraulic and stress analyses calculated fuel and material temperatures, coolant flows and temperatures, and thermal stresses in the fuel pins, components and structures. Using conservative design assumptions and practices, consistent with the detailed design work performed during the SP-100 Program, the mass of the reactor, shield, primary heat

The main focus of this paper is to identify the most desirable ranges of impurity levels in the primary coolant to optimize component life in the primary circuit of the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP), which will either be a prismatic block or pebble bed reactor.

At present Dhruva and Cirus reactors provide the majority of research reactor based facilities to cater to the various needs of a vast pool of researchers in the field of material sciences, physics, chemistry, bio sciences, research and development work for nuclear power plants and production of radio isotopes. With a view to further consolidate and expand the scope of research and development in nuclear and allied sciences, a new 20 MWt multi purpose research reactor is being designed. This paper describes some of the design features and safety aspects of this reactor.

Full Text Available INVAP, an Argentine company founded more than three decades ago, is today recognized as one of the leaders within the research reactor industry. INVAP has participated in several projects covering a wide range of facilities, designed in accordance with the requirements of our different clients. For complying with these requirements, INVAP developed special skills and capabilities to deal with different fuel assemblies, different core cooling systems, and different reactor layouts. This paper summarizes the general features and utilization of several INVAP research reactor designs, from subcritical and critical assemblies to high-power reactors.

An LMFBR type reactor comprises a plurality of reactor cores in a reactor container. Namely, a plurality of pot containing vessels are disposed in the reactor vessel and a plurality of reactor cores are formed in a state where an integrated-type fuel assembly is each inserted to a pot, and a coolant pipeline is connected to each of the pot containing-vessel to cool the reactor core respectively. When fuels are exchanged, the integrated-type fuel assembly is taken out together with the pot from the reactor vessel in a state where the integrated-type fuel assembly is immersed in the coolants in the pot as it is. Accordingly, coolants are supplied to each of the pot containing-vessel connected with the coolant pipeline and circulate while cooling the integrated-type fuel assembly for every pot. Then, when the fuels are exchanged, the integrated type fuel assembly is taken out to the outside of the reactor together with the pot by taking up the pot from the pot-containing vessel. Then, neutron economy is improved to thereby improve reactor power and the breeding ratio. (N.H.)

Full Text Available Skin injuries such as wounds or burns following whole-body γ-irradiation (radiation combined injury (RCI increase mortality more than whole-body γ-irradiation alone. Wound-induced decreases in survival after irradiation are triggered by sustained activation of inducible nitric oxide synthase pathways, persistent alteration of cytokine homeostasis, and increased susceptibility to systemic bacterial infection. Among these factors, radiation-induced increases in interleukin-6 (IL-6 concentrations in serum were amplified by skin wound trauma. Herein, the IL-6-induced stress proteins including C-reactive protein (CRP, complement 3 (C3, immunoglobulin M (IgM, and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2 were evaluated after skin injuries given following a mixed radiation environment that might be found after a nuclear incident. In this report, mice received 3 Gy of reactor-produced mixed field (n+γ-photons radiations at 0.38 Gy/min followed by nonlethal skin wounding or burning. Both wounds and burns reduced survival and increased CRP, C3, and PGE2 in serum after radiation. Decreased IgM production along with an early rise in corticosterone followed by a subsequent decrease was noted for each RCI situation. These results suggest that RCI-induced alterations of corticosterone, CRP, C3, IgM, and PGE2 cause homeostatic imbalance and may contribute to reduced survival. Agents inhibiting these responses may prove to be therapeutic for RCI and improve related survival.